


Rehabilitate

by fluffychanel



Series: Detained Series [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Drama, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-07-26 15:33:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 74,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7579576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffychanel/pseuds/fluffychanel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Detained. Will Aizen and Urahara be able to work out their dysfunctional relationship? Especially with the added baggage. UraharaXAizen</p><p>Warnings: Drama, Mpreg, Past NonCon, rated M for mature content.</p><p><strong>Discontinued</strong>:see notes on last chapter for more details.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Second installment of the Detained series. So you will need to read the first one. Regarding the NonCon in this one; Aizen's past will be explained in future chapters, which has been briefly touched upon in the first installment. And it will be a little more detailed so you'll finally get to know why he has become the way he is. But Mrated content won't be posted on FF and I always give a warning on the chapters that have special content. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, it's characters, storyline, etc. All rights belong to Tite Kubo. 

**Chapter one**

The detention unit in the Royal Realm was more humane than the Maggot's Nest. Aside from complete isolation, Urahara did receive daily three meals and enough water to keep from getting parched. The cot in the dark room that was his cell was even surprisingly comfortable. 

Kisuke didn't know if he got any special treatment in comparison to any other 'traitors'. Maybe they did believe the blond's honesty over his ignorance on Aizen's whereabouts. He was after all their best bet on where the brunet could be. Even if he didn't know it himself. 

His obliviousness to Aizen's plans had wounded him again. How could he for one second have even thought that Sousuke might have changed? 

Those undeniable, outstanding acting talents of the brunet had made Sousuke victorious again. Once again it was clear that the other didn't need his zanpakuto at all. Deception was ingrained into the brunet, it's the only thing he knew how to play out. 

The perfect fake love and the supposed chance of building up a family together seemed promising to Kisuke. Aizen had built up those walls of ignorant bliss around Kisuke, only to shatter them and leave the blond standing alone to face reality; Sousuke didn't care one bit for him. 

He had given the brunet the benefit of the doubt, gave him a chance to show Kisuke that the other could learn to care for another being. That he could pick up from where it all went wrong and start redeeming himself. 

Sousuke must have had help from insiders. Someone in Soul Society must have contacted him. The sick joke the other had made once, seemed dauntingly true. The blond didn't know how else the guards could have gotten their information on the pregnancy. Maybe Soul Society was enlightened first by Sousuke's confidant, news would spread to the Gotei 13 and the King would be informed immediately. 

And of course Kisuke would seem like the bad guy here. Like he had purposely impregnated Aizen to shove the Soul King from his throne and set his heir on the chair when the time was right. 

It's what he got from the interrogation by the guards these past…weeks? He couldn't even establish how long it had been. He just had too much time on his hands. And all of his thoughts would reflect back on Aizen's deceit or their relationship. 

It all seemed too good to be true. 

The brunet must have planned it from the beginning. But somehow it hurt more than the previous time he was deceived by the other. He had been in love with Aizen when he was framed too, but didn't have any sort of relationship with him at the time. Their relations weren't even friendly, they had been mere acquaintances. Now, Sousuke had promised him a future; a family. 

His behavior and actions didn't always show love, but at times the brunet seemed sincere. It seemed real, like the other wanted him just as much. 

Maybe Sousuke did get a hold of Kyouka Suigetsu, like the brunet had once suggested. It had been his first thought, an optimistic one, so it didn't make him feel as guilty to have fallen for Sousuke's lies again. 

But the guards had confirmed that Aizen's zanpakuto was still safely locked away. 

His guilt had turned into denial. Maybe Sousuke had to escape because he knew of the imminent arrival of the guards. Sousuke's inexperience in dealing with emotions, must make the brunet just as unaware of how to deal with demise. 

After explaining to the brunet that his mortality was a given after removal of the orb, Sousuke had been fearing the Seireitei finding out the truth about the other’s condition immensely. If the brunet had somehow gotten leaked info of the guards' arrival, his first instinct might have been to flee. 

Kisuke had mulled over that thought a thousand times, desperately clinging to the other’s lies, that what they had couldn't be over yet. 

Afterwards he had cursed himself to once again give in to that little bit of hope, that desperation, that Aizen wasn't as evil. 

He had to face the fact that Sousuke was a lost cause, that the other was stuck in his own fantasy that was impenetrable by anyone else. 

The thought of Grimmjow or Yoruichi disclosing the secret had crossed his mind once. But he had forced that thought away as soon as it came. 

Yoruichi would never do that to him, she didn't like Aizen but she knew that she would have hurt Kisuke with it in the process. And that was enough to clear her of suspicion. And the former Espada was thankful to Kisuke for the help he had gotten when Hueco Mundo was taken over by the Quincies. 

So that could only leave Aizen as the culprit. 

He didn't know what he would do if he ever saw Aizen again. The pain he felt right now was translated into anger. Sometimes he wished he had choked the other at Sousuke's second short followed lie when he found the papers on the Hogyoku. He should have realized by then, that it was all a game to Aizen. The shock in the others' eyes at the exact moment his hands closed around the other’s neck, followed by a tinge of amusement in those brown eyes should have opened his own. 

The cuffs were still fastened around Sousuke's wrists of that he was sure. He couldn't reach out to the other to discern his location but the blond could feel it by the way his reiatsu was still undoubtedly cloaked around Sousuke. Like a bond between two Shinigami lovers, it was linked to the other party. Sousuke could by no means remove the shackles, it could only be suspended by Kisuke himself. To the one it was linked to; a special security measurement. 

Tracking Kisuke's reiatsu to find the brunet could be a possibility, the blond had hinted that to the guards. But the tracking hadn't delivered any results. Sousuke would be smart enough to conceal that with the pressure concealing cloaks that laid around at home. And wherever the other was hiding now, would have some security too. 

The anger eventually evolved into bitterness. He wanted nothing more than to hurt the brunet in any way to dissolve some of his own despair. Kisuke could activate the electric shocks, it didn't matter how far they were apart. Though the memory of the babies the other carried, his children, prevented that. 

Sudden light shining through by the opening in the doorway made him look up at the guards. 

Another questioning, with a million questions he couldn't even answer himself… 

However, he wasn't led into the interrogation room. Walking through the huge hallways that seemed rather familiar, he remembered the path to the Soul King centuries ago. 

The white enormous gates adorned by golden accents, reminiscent of what humans believed to be the entrance to heaven. With extravagant decorations along the hallway and huge pillars that would make his love…Aizen jealous. 

He wasn't brought before the throne, instead he was made to await the King's arrival in a separate room. The room that also housed their negotiations over the Hogyoku so long ago. 

When the King arrived Kisuke made a customary royal bow, the other male made a motion to stand up straight as the King commented on their previous engagements. 

"It has been a long time. The last time I had brought you here was for the Hogyoku, this time won't be any different." The black eyes of the Soul King formed a friendly smile. 

Kisuke waited until the other sat down before doing the same. Two royal guards flanked the King, Kisuke looked at the other when the question he had heard every day since his arrival here was directed at him. "Do you know where Aizen Sousuke is?" 

The blond gave him the answer he had said each time. "No, I have no idea." 

"I think the question here would be, would you tell me if you knew?" 

The blond looked down. Would he? It would have to depend on what circumstances. If Aizen was indeed ready to attack Soul Society or disturb its peace in any other way, the answer would be yes. 

But Aizen was carrying his children, and he had to guarantee their safety in some way. 

The black haired male studied his reaction carefully as he told his little white lie. "Yeah, I would." 

The king nodded. "Of course you would. That aside, can you confirm the information of Aizen Sousuke having conceived?" 

Did they explicitly have him brought before the Soul King to hear the same answers to the same questions being answered all over again? As if the pressure of being brought before his royalty would break his confidence. "Yeah, he has." 

"So it can be safely assumed that the Hogyoku works? That the remnants of the orb are being passed through?" 

Kisuke nodded. "Only one of the twins received the remnants though." 

The King seemed surprised. "Twins?" 

He hadn't known? 

The blond's mind raced to process that information. If the info had been told by Aizen's close confidant, why wasn't it known that it was twins? 

"Did the conception proceed as a normal pregnancy would?" 

The turn of the questioning seemed focused on the brunet's pregnancy. 

"Yes…" he said uncertainly. 

"You had it declared by a medic then?" 

He wasn't going to give any info on the midwife, fearing something might happen to her. She had gotten caught up in this mess and didn't need to be the victim. 

The blond shook his head negatively. "No, I declared it myself actually. The two definite pressure systems were hard to miss." 

The King contemplated over it for a while before asking if he deliberately told the truth about the Hogyoku to Aizen with the purpose of starting a family. 

It would seem like Kisuke's own fault if he worded it like that. And explaining how Aizen snooped around and found the papers wouldn't be much better. 

He lied again, and this time for his own benefit. "No, Aizen had studied the orb when he stole the creation. He was aware of the true purpose a long time ago." 

The King didn't seem convinced. "And only now decided to carry?" 

"He was waiting for the right time perhaps, or even the right person." the blond suggested. 

The King seemed satisfied by the response. "Do you realize how this makes me look now? Especially with the Seireitei finding out?" 

Kisuke had a vague idea. He nodded in confirmation as the King started "This magical object that I deemed dangerous, suddenly turns out to be the bringer of the gift of life. And not only for males since the object's slices given out to the baby will naturally create a child with an overpowering reiatsu form. Genetic manipulation that will only bring about perfect Shinigami. But, perfectionism can sometimes take on a rebellious side." 

The King was definitely hinting at Sousuke with that. The brunet's natural high pressure had made him think of himself as this perfect being. And the Hogyoku had enforced that. 

"The peace that was almost disturbed by the Quincies would be over again if the object were to be regarded as a gain to absolute power." 

The blond understood that, high power evoked a revolution. If the King wasn't seen as a supreme being anymore, then anybody could simply take his place. Especially with the help of the orb. 

"It is of utmost importance that we know of your lover's hiding place. We need to follow up on his pregnancy and the child that has the remnants of the Hogyoku." 

Kisuke didn't know if he should see it as a positive thing. They wanted to follow up on his child already and the kid wasn't even born yet. He didn't pose as a danger yet. 

"Urahara Kisuke, I can't keep you here longer than a month, therefore you will be transferred to the Maggot's Nest." 

Kisuke widened his eyes as the guards suddenly moved on either side of him. 

The special treatment was over apparently. 

"And if by any chance you suddenly remember your lover's current residence, I'm sure we can come to an agreement on your detention."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter contains two flashbacks to the first installment, one of chapter nine so you'll finally learn who the mystery guest is and the other flashback is Aizen's point of view to the last chapter of Detained.

**Chapter 2**

Minutes before closing time, Sousuke went in search of some aspirins. The shopkeeper had to have them lying around somewhere. He took the glass of water and the medicine with him to close the shop. Sighing when he dropped the little pill, bending down to pick it up he heard the chime of the door being opened. Five minutes before closing and they just kept coming… 

"How can I help you?" Saying it as charming as possible. 

He heard a familiar chuckle. "New aspiration?" He widened his eyes when he looked up and saw Gin standing before him. 

Hadn't the other died? The brunet thought for sure he had killed the traitorous, backstabbing snake. 

He stood up and towered over the silver haired male, even though their height difference was a mere centimeter. Demanding an explanation made the other give out an annoying sound akin to a giggle. 

"What? No 'I'm happy ta see ya?' Ya wound me." The other clutched his heart as if he was in pain. 

"I will not ask you again." 

Since he hadn't felt Gin's pressure, the other must have mastered the act of concealing it. And giving him a quick glance over it caught his attention that he was wearing modern clothes. 

So no reunion with Soul Society after his staged death? 

The sly fox talked about his adventures after Aizen was sealed. Apparently his two little whores had patched him up. How the other was capable of keeping them so loyal despite his deeds, silently fascinated Sousuke. 

Kira's devotion to Gin was definitely something close to Stockholm Syndrome, why else would the timid blond continue to care for the other male when Gin was anything but nice to him. The two had multiple rendezvous during Sousuke's reign. Not that Gin needed his permission to leave Hueco Mundo. 

But it hadn't been Kira alone whom had helped the fox, Hitsugaya hadn't lost his contact with the silver haired one either. 

"It disappoints me slightly that they wouldn't hand you over to the Seireitei together." 

The other male snickered and took one of the candies from a shelf, busy unwrapping it as he said "I keep those hunnies from meetin' each other." 

He narrowed his eyes when Gin grabbed another one, snatching it from the other’s hands, he reminded him to pay for it. 

The shop's finances weren't his responsibility, but it annoyed him somehow. 

The other grinned when the next sweet was just as easily snatched away. "An' look at you, ya'r runnin' fer miss shopkeeper now. That's a long fall from yer pedestal." 

Spending time with Kisuke actually reminded him, that there were a lot more individuals that were worse than Urahara. It made the blond's company less despicable. Kisuke's taunts sparked a reaction out of the brunet to prove him wrong. Gin on the other hand made him just want to kill the silver haired male in the most gruesome way possible, and this time he would make sure the other stayed dead. 

"I just thought I visit mah taicho after bein' apart from ya so long." The jaded look sent Gin's way instantly told him of the unreciprocated feels. "I think I like ya better when ya smile." the silver haired one proved his point with a wide smile of his own. 

Kisuke had commented a couple of times on Sousuke's fake smiles. He himself thought his expressions were actually quite charming. If there was anyone whose impressions came across artificial and entirely unconvincing it were Gin's. The brunet made sure his acts were finished off spectacularly and not phony in the slightest. 

Their reconciliation did not last long. It became clear to the other male that Sousuke wasn't ready to forgive the betrayal. Gin had given him his phone number though, just in case. And Sousuke accepted it, because maybe he would need him in the future. 

Always keep open the possibility for a change of plans. 

It took a while before they were in contact again after that. The fox resided in an apartment right now, not far from the shopkeeper's place. The other had managed to keep his identity hidden from the Seireitei mostly with Kira's help. Of course, the dead act helped. 

It came to the brunet's attention that Gin was more inclined to share information about Soul Society than his foolish lover. Kisuke, after all, didn't need to have the slightest inclination of being mislead. And further down the line when it became obvious that the blond wouldn't grant him any freedom, he shared his plans with the silver haired fox. 

He could count on Gin's confidence. The other had fooled Soul Society once, but wouldn't be forgiven for another act of supposedly becoming closer to Sousuke to neutralize the Hogyoku. 

Well, Gin had learned it the hard way that defiance was definitely not rewarding in the end. The other had proclaimed he rather stay by his side than stand in his way this time. 

-0- 

The phone call that alerted him to Soul Society finding out about his condition and the imminent arrival of the guards sent to seize him, had the brunet feeling something similar to dread. His first reaction was to warn Kisuke immediately, though Urahara's ringing words that the blond would undeniably side with the Seireitei, caused the brunet to change his mind. 

He had to go about this in a slightly different way. 

The brunet had been staring at his phone after the call until he felt the warmth of Kisuke's touch on his arm. 

"Is everything alright?" Sousuke shook his head. 

What if he told Kisuke everything? About the plan of seducing him in order to gain freedom and that somehow along the way those feelings of care had turned genuine. 

He still wasn't sure if it was love, but there was no doubt that he learned to appreciate the other for who he was. And the possibility of losing the blond actually felt quite frightening. That in itself was proof enough that he wanted Kisuke, needed the other beside him. Not only for his benefit, it was the confirmation he needed for himself that he wasn't as hollow as the Hollows in the desert. 

That he was capable of loving another being, despite Kisuke accusing him otherwise. 

"There's something I have to say to you," he had to say this carefully, he didn't want the blond to actually end up hating him. "The thing you said at the restaurant…" it was best to start with proving to Kisuke that he wasn't devoid of any feelings. "How I lack the ability to care ab-" 

He was cut off by the blond suddenly, telling Sousuke he didn't mean it like that. 

It was understandable that the blond wanted to reassure him, but Sousuke felt the need to talk about it first. He tried again but was instantly cut off by the other again. His last name being used and the plea by the blond were a definite order to let the subject rest. 

Why wouldn't he listen to him for a second?! 

"No, you don't understand-" He couldn't finish his own sentence, because he felt the kick of one of twins against his ribs. The one with the stronger reiatsu had been positioned quite high during their last echo. So it was probably that little troublemaker. 

Kisuke had looked him over worriedly, and the brunet guided the blond's palm to the right place after he told him about the kick. The blond however wasn't rewarded with the little stomp. 

"Do you feel their pressure pulsing constantly?" 

He was hardly paying attention to what the other said but nodded at the question anyways, Kisuke always seemed so fascinated about the miracle of new life. 

"Can you even sleep with it?" 

The feeling was a reminder of their life stream; not feeling their pressure system would cause panic. Unconsciously he reached out to feel that pressure whenever it seemed slower or less noticeable because of their slumber. It was something solely his and Kisuke's, caused by the Hogyoku they irrevocably had connections to. 

He tried again to come up with a way to begin explaining the obscure plan of gaining freedom. But the blond interrupted him first, saying he had something for the brunet. 

Seeing the item had him feeling even more tense. The little bell with a butterfly engraved into it was explained to him, but he still hardly heard any of the words while putting it on. 

"It's lovely." It really was. 

But Kisuke didn't seem to believe him. 

"I know how much you want the baby room in order." The blond proceeded to show him the receipt for the two cribs he wanted. 

He had to take a deep breath at the sudden feeling of being choked up. It's little things like these that he couldn't return to the blond; the feeling of gratitude for all the other did or said. It always came across rather fake, as it did right now. 

And Kisuke in return repeated the question if something was bothering him. 

"It's fine. It's what I wanted right?" 

He had to tell the blond about Soul Society's knowledge of the orb right now. Even if the blond refused to side with him, he had to at least try. But no matter how hard he tried to warn Kisuke, he just couldn't get the words to pass his lips. The fear of rejection won him over each time and eventually the moment just past by. 

Lying beside him in bed, he decided that maybe he should try to tell Kisuke tomorrow. By then he would have found his courage. He had specifically asked the blond to wake him up, but the other hadn't done it. 

The moment he woke up and saw that the other was gone, he had tried reaching Kisuke through his cell. After calling a couple of times, and finding out the blond's cell phone lay on the bedside table, he gave up. 

Did this mean the end for them? 

It wasn't the fact that he remained cuffed, and thus his plan had failed, that bothered him. Plans could always go in another direction, but he didn't want to go into another direction that excluded Urahara. Not solely for the purpose of needing the blond's knowledge of the shackles, his reasons were purely personal now. 

The royal guards would arrive in the late afternoon, when they were sure of Kisuke's absence. Gin would come and pick him up. 

He would have to hide from them, for now. Kisuke would understand. 

He needed to get rid of these dependent feelings if he were to separate himself from Kisuke. And that had to start with the security bit of the shackles. When he cleaned up Kisuke's laboratory a couple of days ago, he encountered an invention that had similar mechanics to trace another’s' reiatsu. 

The system was close enough to the way Kisuke kept track of his pressure through the cuffs. He kept himself busy with dismantling the security part. Until noon came around and Gin knocked on the closed off shop's door. 

Urahara couldn't follow him now, it was for the best. 

He couldn't let those emotions get in the way and risk the blond delivering him to the Seireitei. The Shinigami world's 'safety' would be chosen over him, and he did not want to be confronted by the blond's decision at the time. 

Turning off the security cameras, he let in Gin. He saw the other grin widely at his stomach and the brunet gave the other a look and warned "Not a word." 

The other chuckled and remarked he wasn't about to say anything anyways. 

He packed his clothes while ignoring the same gnawing feeling of abandonment. The sooner he was out of this place, the sooner he would get his life back in order, without missing a certain blond. 

He commanded Gin to carry the bags, the other whined about it until the brunet reminded him that he was exempt from doing any labor while in his condition. Using the pregnancy as excuse sometimes felt satisfying. Especially at the other’s groan, like the silver haired suddenly knew what he was in for. 

Arriving at the fox's apartment made the brunet scan the place quickly. It wasn't very spacious, probably as big as his whole room in Hueco Mundo. 

He kind of felt like he just kept falling lower and further away from his ideal plans… 

"Livin' in ta human world ain't easy ya know." the other reminded him. 

The place was at least a lot more modern than Kisuke's traditional style. But everything seemed centered in one place. An open kitchen with a small table and chairs. And a couch perched in front of a TV. 

Urahara had the living room, dining room and kitchen in separate places. The only rooms that were private here were a small bathroom and bedroom. 

"Just one bedroom?" said Sousuke as he toured the house. 

"We could share." the grinning fox suggested. 

No, he was not going to do that, it didn't feel right. 

"I have a better idea." Gin's grin faltered slightly. Sousuke motioned to the other to put his bags in the silver haired one's room, before shoving the other out of the room and closing the door in his face. "How about you take the couch." the brunet suggested, sweetly back. 

The other complained and banged on the door for a while, until "I couldn't fit in ta bed with ya being so huge now anyways." came muttered through the door. 

"I heard that!" he yelled back, hearing the other give out a "S'good" as answer. 

If Gin wanted to help, he was going to follow his rules.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The Maggot's Nest was nothing like it used to be, different patron, different rules it seemed. How Mayuri even got the permission to change the detention unit's former laws that were established for centuries boggled Kisuke. 

The underground prison's interior converted to row upon row of cells that had previously occupied the open space where inmates were housed. The criminals weren't allowed any freedom anymore, while guards carried their zanpakuto as shield. 

And the blond witnessed how they were not above using their swords to their advantage on the unarmed prisoners. It didn't surprise him that the guards weren't regarded with any respect. So different from his own time as Corps Commander. 

He could control the prisoners with his bare hands then, but now physically keeping anyone at a distance wasn't a problem either with the threat of literally being beat down. It was similar to the ways of how the Quincies treated their inmates; not with mutual respect but with fear. 

It kept prisoners less likely to rebel, or that was at least the intention. It was very effective, though morally not correct, it would even get those that were most aggressive on their best behavior. Literally torturing rebellion out of someone worked, perhaps the method he should have used on Aizen… 

The cells had barely any room left to maneuver; with a metal cot that served as a bed, which was anything but comfortable, and a toilet and washing bin. 

But the privacy was nonexistent with bars on either side, it didn't make it a private affair. The cells were placed against each other so nothing was secret. If the bleak surroundings of the prison didn't make you go crazy before the change of rules, it sure did now. 

The only time that prisoners were allowed to spend time out of the cells was for showers. Shower time was like every other story told about a prison; you better not drop the soap! Kisuke was glad that his unshaven appearance didn't give him the pretty boy look. The stubble had long since overgrown into a beard and his blond hair didn't seem so healthy anymore. 

Not that he couldn't have defended himself. 

He had met a couple of inmates whom had done their time while Kisuke was a warden. One of them did dare to take their anger out on him, they didn't dare do it a second time. His hand to hand combat skills hadn't rusted over a hundred years, and the instigator learned that quickly. 

Fights weren't encouraged, you were likely to be isolated in a small room. Kisuke was never one for violence but he had to defend himself and staying in a place like this, together with the thought of being innocent, made one lose their cool. 

The other inmates suddenly agreed that the previous detention rules were a lot better. 

The blond hadn't received a trial, he was just shoved into his cell for who knew how long. He had been here for weeks now and the prison's natural conditions caught up to him. Aside from no privacy at all and the unhealthy lifestyle, the underground's cells were very drafty. Many inmates got sick and it spread like a virus. 

Now and then those that were too sick or even showed symptoms now, were taken into a separate section. They didn't return however so it was safe to assume that Mayuri held his experimentations there. 

He had seen the other scientist roaming around the facility, it was only after a month or so the other finally visited him. The blond had a sore throat and a fever that disturbed his pressure system. 

The moment the other scientist showed up with two guards, Kisuke thought he would be taken into the 'special section'. 

His cell door opened and the two instantly made a grab for him. He dodged the first with a well aimed punch to the face and the second one was thrown over his shoulder when his arm was grabbed. 

The commotion got some of the inmates to cheer loudly, they couldn't get too loud though since wardens were already beginning to pace along the corridor. 

The fever and whatever else was brewing in him however slowed down his reaction capacity. Blocking an attack was miscalculated by the blond and a punch to the gut was the result, it left him dizzy a lot longer than normal. He was easily subdued by the other two on the ground when they used their reiatsu to suppress his weakened one. 

Pinned to the ground, his hands were kept behind his back by the knees of the guard. As he saw a grinning Mayuri nearing him. The needle in the others' hand caught his attention next, and he started thrashing wildly. The 12th division's captain knelt down to his level. 

"This won't hurt, just a little prick. It's an antidote, you don't want the disease to infect your body for another couple of days. You won't be feeling so well anymore." 

Well?! He was anything but okay at the moment. He felt like a heated corpse, but whatever shot Mayuri was about to give him was just as much as a mystery as the sickness that was breeding among the inmates. 

Probably something cooked up in the other’s lab in the first place. Mayuri's methods were always rather questionable. 

A last power struggle with the end of his strength did almost throw off the guards' knees digging into his back. But the needle was unceremoniously plunged into his arm. The liquid burned and he could almost feel it coursing through his reiatsu. It made him tense up and almost crawl in on himself because of the heat. 

The guards had released him, but had taken up a defensive stance behind him. 

When the burn subsided he looked up at the other’s amused face, breathing irregularly he said "What did you do to me?!" 

"You might be still a little delirious from the symptoms, but I just told you; an antidote." finished the other with a laugh. 

It didn't make any sense why he got a cure while the rest of the prisoners were left to suffer. 

"The King requested that no harm befall you. Can't have you dying of a simple virus." The other seemed almost elated to be telling him this, waving his hands exaggeratedly. 

"So simple that you created it." 

Mayuri covered his mouth as if he said something he wasn't supposed to. "It might have escaped the confines of my laboratory." 

It definitely had and it wasn't on accident either. "Found your own method in preventing the prison's maxed out capacity huh." 

He was technically not killing his prisoners, the virus did it for him. 

Mayuri shrugged and rambled on about the overall effectiveness of his method in comparison to Kisuke's cuffs. 

"Was it approved by the king?" he questioned the other, but the 12th division's captain ignored his question. 

"The roles have changed now, you behind the bars while I supervise you." 

A prison warden was something he never associated Mayuri with, it was just another opportunity for Kurotsuchi to use live guinea pigs. 

"Instilling fear into your prisoners, real conqueror you are…I think you're afraid of them. There was no need for cells during my days as a warden." Kisuke explained carefully. The fever was ebbing away slowly, his head becoming a lot clearer; it was an antidote after all. 

The other laughed crazily. "And yet you were afraid of your own prisoner." 

He was never afraid of Aizen. The blond could have stopped the brunet either way. Even if Aizen had had his powers, he would have still been able to make the other submit. He just chose not to and was lenient, a crucial mistake he shouldn't have made… 

The other scientist snickered. 

"What?" the blond said irritated. 

"It doesn't seem believable anymore," he stared at him. "You and your traitor lover's plans, it seemed all scheduled up right from the beginning," What was he going on about? The other scientist told his vision with a lot of exuberance "You making the Hogyoku for the traitor, and the moment your experiments leaked, devised up a plan of being framed by your lover, so you could take your tests safely to the real world. The traitor would stay here and play his part well-" 

"You think I was working together with him the whole time?!" the aggravated tone made one of the guards flash their zanpakuto in warning. 

"I'm not the only one," Mayuri chuckled. "You can't plead for your innocence, people don't believe you after a second attempt anymore." 

"I didn't even get a trial." 

Mayuri told him the hearing wouldn't have worked to his advantage. Maximum security centers were now only used to await one's trial. Muken cost too much power and too many guards were needed to keep the order. Many were sentenced to Hell as an alternative, it wasn't solely a place for the most dangerous individuals anymore. 

Together with the Maggot's Nest it served as a secure and justified facility. Kisuke's reiatsu monitoring cuffs were still an option but since Aizen's unreachable disappearance the object had to have a malfunction making it temporarily unusable. 

Although the blond was still a 100% sure that the brunet's powers were undoubtedly locked down. 

"You're screwed either way. You're going to be incarcerated here for a very long time." 

The Soul King seemed to believe in his innocence, or at least that he was the most likely chance of finding Aizen. 

"I should have never freed you. I should have let you rot in your cell." Where was the other’s gratefulness for Kisuke's good deed?! He was too mild for others. 

"Should have never…fucked the traitor. That's what got you into this mess." Mayuri was still gleefully goading him. 

"Stop talking about him." the blond warned. 

In this dreadful place he barely had any time left to let his thoughts stray to Aizen. But the other kept on pushing him in that direction. 

"I just needed to tell you that they are sending out search parties for him." 

He hid the interest that comment brought up. If Aizen didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found. The brunet was smarter than most of the Seireitei's trackers. 

"If they do get their hands on him, he'll be delivered in to my care. And I can assure you that your traitor lover won't be very defiant with me," 

The blond glared at Mayuri. 

"The first thing I'll do is claw out that spawn he is carryi-" 

The crazy scientist had to back off when Kisuke had used shunpo to appear directly in front of the other. The blond's senses had healed and the guards hadn't anticipated his sudden movement. 

But Mayuri had, the 12th division's captain had put up quite a distance between them after giving him the medicine. Enough that it was apparently calculated. The chain that bound down one of the blond's legs in his cell only allowed him about half a meter. 

He stood about a hair's breath away from the other, swinging out at Mayuri but the 12th had been able to get away just in time. If Urahara hadn't been chained down, the other wouldn't have been so lucky. 

The other laughed, but it had a nervous tinge to it. 

The two guards behind him came for him again, one of their zanpakuto swinging into his direction, the blond narrowly avoided a direct hit. Kisuke struck the wrist of the guard whom had lashed out, hitting a pressure point and resulting in the sword clattering to the ground. 

He grabbed the other’s zanpakuto and locked his elbow around the disarmed guard, holding the man's own sword in a threatening position against his neck. The other guard stopped his advances towards him instantly, lowering his own sword. 

Mayuri clapped, now standing on the other side of the bars. "You still have it in you, but that zanpakuto won't respond to you and it's definitely not letting you kill its owner. Not that you're capable of ending another life." 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Mayuri. I don't think you know what I'm capable of." Kisuke said, while digging the zanpakuto further into his owner's neck. 

There was already spiritual pressure coming from the sword, it was still easy enough for the blond to suppress it with his own. His own reiatsu wasn't locked, unlike the other inmates. The blond was only kept at bay with a chain in his cell and while being allowed out of his cell, his hands were bound together in the front. Apparently the warnings on Aizen's powers being unleashed if the blond's were to be locked up did make an impact… 

Even though he could technically use his spiritual pressure, there was a security measurement placed in the facility that prohibited anyone from using kidou spells. Nothing new, it had been like that since the blond's time as a warden. It would make trying to escape a lot harder but not entirely impossible. 

Even if he managed to escape, what would he do? Where would he go? Flee to a different city next and this time without anyone else's help? 

Yoruichi and Tessai would provide the right means for the blond to begin anew, but they wouldn't follow him. He couldn't expect it either. They were building up their own lives as well, he didn't want to destroy that. 

Kisuke released the guard and gave him back his zanpakuto, he held out his hands in surrender as the other guard struck him in the face with the hilt of his sword, before the two also left the confines of his cell. 

The blond wiped away the trickle of blood as the 12th division's captain was still regarding him with the same excitement shining in his eyes. 

No, he wouldn't destroy their lives, awaiting out his punishment was his only option. Or the hope that Aizen would be found by Soul Society's search party. 

Kurotsuchi stayed standing there for a while, in bliss of the aftermath of the show, before leaving him alone. 

-0- 

After a month and a half in the Maggot's Nest and Mayuri's visit, he finally was allowed to see a real visitor. Taken into a blank room, with only a table and two chairs, he was waiting for the mystery guest who would show up. Although it could only be… 

"Yoruichi!" he exclaimed happily and hugged her tightly. 

Finally some real contact with a sane individual. 

She looked him over, her golden eyes cast downwards in sadness or pity, maybe even a combination of the two. 

"I know what you're going to say; 'I told you, I warned you about Aizen.'" She shook her head. "After all his lies…and I still believed him." The cat woman stared in sympathy. "I should have listened to Isshin and told Soul Society about my weakness for him. I should-" 

"Stop it," she put an end to his miserable rambling. "You don't need to blame yourself, it's exactly what Aizen would have hoped you do. Maybe you could have foreseen him doing something like this, but there is no way you could have prevented it." 

"I could have prevented it, by not getting involved with him." Kisuke remarked. 

"And then? You started a relationship, but it didn't work out. But there are a lot of things I'm sure you wouldn't have traded for a life without him. The twins for instance." 

He stared at her gloomily. Will he even ever see them? 

But she was right, there were moments where he and Sousuke seemed to be able to live together as a couple. A real couple, not everything could have been a lie. 

Though, it's exactly those kind of thoughts that he tried hard to forget. And not talking about it for once helped. Ignorance was a bliss after all. 

"How are things in the real world? How is the shop doing?" 

She gave him a look at the severe change of topic before informing him how the teens were still working during the weekends. And Grimmjow was holding open the shop during the week, taking up temporary residence in the now empty house. 

"The whole place was a mess though, as if someone had been looking for something." 

The blond nodded. His laboratory was also in complete disarray when he came back from Ichigo's wedding. Had Aizen tried to look for the notes on the cuffs again? His attempts would have been in vain anyway, the notes were still safely in Yoruichi's care. 

He told her to check the security images of the cameras. 

"We did, but they've been dismantled. Aizen's doing for sure, since the last day of recording was the 30th of December, it was cut off around noon." 

Of course…Aizen was prepared. 

When he was informed her visit would only last another 10 minutes, she told him "I'll try my best to get you out of here." 

"You don't have to do that, you've done enough for me already." 

"Nonsense! I'm not letting you spend the rest of your days falsely accused behind bars." 

The blond added how the Soul King had hinted at a proposition, he saw her eyes widening at that part before she was ushered out and the blond led back to his cell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Aizen snuck past the sleeping couple on the couch in the main room. Careful to be silent as he heated up water. 

He couldn't sleep well anymore, always awake at dawn. Kisuke's reiatsu that had felt like a soothing blanket; absent. What was left of the traces in the cuffs had taken on a hostile feel towards him. 

The brunet had heard about Soul Society taking his lover captive, blaming him for the pregnancy that was regarded as a conspiracy against the king. Even though it held truth, they were blaming the wrong person. He never wanted this for Kisuke… 

In the beginning, perhaps. But now not anymore. The blond didn't deserve to be treated like that. He wanted nothing more than to rush into Soul Society and tell Kisuke the things he had desperately tried to inform him of their last day together. 

But with his locked down pressure system, he wouldn't get very far. The truth of the Hogyoku was out, and the orb became a very sought after object it seemed. 

His first assumption was that Gin's pets must have uncovered it. His 'Shiro-chan' was a lot less reliable than his 'Izuru-chan'. 

But Hitsugaya was never brought to Gin's apartment, their affair treated with the utmost secrecy. The 10th division's captain didn't know that the fox had any contact with Aizen. The silver haired male would sometimes spend one or two nights, maximum, away. Opting for a hotel when he saw the small captain. 

Kira on the other hand always spent a couple of nights here, choosing missions in the real world in order to be with Gin. How did the Shinigami world not notice the scared blond's sudden favor for the real world? 

But Soul Society had always been rather dense. The timid personality made one less suspicious. It was the same for Sousuke's own gentle appearance in his time of planning, Soul Society never learned. 

Kira's shy exterior was not an act though, he was naturally this timid almost scared character, coerced by Gin of course. Gin had a certain authoritative impact on the blond, and Kira in his turn was extremely loyal to the fox. The blond would have never dared to go against Gin and tell the Seireitei. 

So that only left Yoruichi and Grimmjow. 

Grimmjow could have done it out of some sort of revenge, but his Espada always had had an honest personality. If the panther had truly told Kisuke he would keep it a secret, he would. 

And the Shihoin heiress? She would have had a real reason not to tell though. She would have put Kisuke purposely in a state of danger, and that seemed highly unlikely to happen. 

But there was no one left besides them... 

The absence of Kisuke made the twins restless. He wasn't sure if they could feel the change in their dad's pressure that surrounded the cuffs. Probably not, since Kisuke would never direct his anger to the wrong person. 

The brunet put one of his hands on his stomach, the other around the pendant. Twin peaks of pressure instantly responding to his palm. 

His plans had changed, they seemed to change directions often now. The children weren't just a means to get into the Soul Palace. They were going to be important parts of his life now, that helped him into the Spirit Realm. As would be Kisuke. 

Surely the blond would forgive him again, right? He was truly innocent this time. 

"How does it feel?" 

The brunet looked up at the quiet, timid voice. Izuru's gaze was fixated on the brunet's hand that rested on his stomach. Aizen put his hands around the mug instead, it always felt like an intrusion when someone saw him interacting with the children like that. 

"It is hard to explain…" he wasn't going to ask the other to cop a feel, that right only belonged to Kisuke. 

"It must be wonderful to be carrying the product of your love." 

Product of love? He couldn't say that his feelings for Kisuke had changed. They remained the same complicated emotions. But he knew now that he definitely wanted the other around. 

He looked at Gin's pet, the blond smiled nervously. The other hadn't really spoken much to him, always hiding behind the fox. 

"Since you're uh…nearing your due date, I've talked with Gin about buying some baby stuff," a nervous stutter. "You need to be prepared…" 

It was highly entertaining to watch the other struggle to get the words out, the brunet knew the kind of effect he had on people when he regarded them with a bland stare. 

He gave a dismissive shrug to the blond. "By all means, be my guest." The other seemed almost elated. 

Sousuke couldn't get out of the apartment, sure he was allowed to do that, Gin held no supremacy over him. But going out like this, clearly with child was not a safe thing to do. The children were a sort of liability, in that sense that the brunet was slightly more at risk to pose as a magnet for potential danger around him. Especially since the children's reiatsu could be felt and it would attract unnecessary attention. 

He had snatched Kisuke's reiatsu sealing cloaks and the band he could wrap around his stomach, but it was safer to remain indoors now. Even though it made him aggravated to be cooped up every day, the thought of something happening to the twins, kept him from doing anything stupid. 

"Does it need to be anything specific?" 

The brunet's mind flashed briefly towards the cribs that were scheduled to be delivered at Kisuke's. "No." he was past making any tyrannies to get his wish, he wasn't planning on staying here forever. "Do you have any information on Kisuke?" 

The blond bit his lip and looked away from him. "I'm not really entitled to anything related to prisoners." Of course he wasn't. "But…I can try to look out for some rumors." 

It was better than nothing. 

Besides it was best for the blond to keep himself on the low. Gin had been living life in the real world for a couple of years now, and the fox had shielded off the apartment as best as he could from the Seireitei. But if Kira suddenly showed too much interest in things that didn't concern him, they might attract uninvited guests. 

If only there was a way to get to Kisuke… 

-0- 

Aizen glanced at the instructions manual before letting his gaze rest on the fumbling couple. The two were setting up a twin baby playpen, opting for that choice rather than a crib. 

"You're doing it wrong, that screw doesn't go there." 

Gin looked annoyed at him while the blond was confusedly searching his mistake. 

"How about helping instead of commanding?" 

The fox had been in a slightly bad mood, all the baby stuff had cost him two months of rent. 

"He's not allowed to do anything taxing in his condition." Kira told his partner while the brunet smiled smugly in the fox's direction. 

Gin mumbled back "Mah, Izuru-chan ya've absolutely no idea the kind of person Aizen-taicho is. He's allowed ta screw in a couple of things, he's very good at screwing," the blond mustered up his best glare at his lover while the silver haired one added with a big grin "Screwing someone over, I mean." 

Baby stuff was a lot more complicated than it looked. They had been trying to find out how the stroller folded, so the thing took up less space, but it wouldn't budge. Until Sousuke had found the little button on the side of it… 

He left the couple in the room to figure out the bed on their own. He searched through the bag of baby clothes Kira had bought. They were all so small, the size of a newborn. It brought a smile unconsciously to his face. Nine months was a long time, he was kind of anxious to have them borne and finally meet them. Especially with the stomach…he was going to be glad when that was out of the way. 

Folding one of the onesies, Kira took another into his hands, all of them had accents of pastel colors, most of them baby blue and childish patterns. 

"I didn't know what you liked, but maybe when they're borne you could go and take a look yourself." 

Sousuke told the other they were fine. He held up one of the tiny shirts with the words 'I love Mommy' printed on it. 

"Gin's choice." The blond laughed. 

The brunet shook his head, leave it to Gin to get on his nerves in some way. The fox had exclaimed he would definitely teach the kids to call Aizen Mommy. Sousuke had retorted that he should try that once, since he wouldn't get an opportunity to say much more after that, followed by a descriptive gruesome explanation how he would silence the fox got him to shut up. 

"Is the bed ready?" 

"No, but he wanted to do that on his own." The slightly downcast look the other gave the clothes told him how the two probably had words again. 

He wasn't going to meddle into their relationship, but anyone could see that it was a destructive love. The blond knew of Gin's affair with the captain of the 10th division, yet refused to say anything about it, probably scared of the fox's reaction or in denial. 

The silver haired male had always liked broken things, he would continue to break them and patch them up again, so they would naturally return to him. The fragile state of the vice captain in front of him, one of those obvious broken things. 

Sousuke liked to think that he and Gin were nothing alike, yet Kisuke broke each time he lied and returned every time… 

-0- 

Sousuke was about to take off his bathrobe to take a bath, but closed the sash again when Gin walked in. "Out!" he told the other as the fox snickered that he had seen the brunet naked before. 

The silver haired male started undressing in front of him, putting on a more formal attire; the things he wore for his job. The other worked night shifts as a waiter in a fancy club. 

Sousuke sat down on the edge of the tub, waiting for the other to get out again. 

"I'll only be a second." The fox busied himself in front of the mirror, once he was fully dressed. "Oh yeah, there's something I forgot ta mention, but with Izuru-chan here…" 

"What?" Sousuke said. 

"Shiro-chan told me of ta Seireitei sending out search parties for ya." The other’s eyes connected with his through the mirror. 

"And what was your answer?" 

The trackers of the second division wouldn't be able to find him without his reiatsu, but it was kind of a wakeup call to definitely not do anything reckless. 

"Nothing, he's not aware you're here. He thinks I still have it out for ya." 

The brunet snorted. "As if you could get very far." 

The other glanced back at him and grinned. "Without any pressure, I reckon I have ta upper hand. Ya be impaled by Shinsou in a sec." 

"A very cowardly thing to do. And if you did dare to kill me, be assured that a certain captive sire will come after you." 

The silver haired male laughed. "Ya sure he's on your side? Or I could just deliver you out ta Soul Society." 

The brunet pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "I'll be dragging you with me." 

The other laughed it off happily, spraying himself with some cologne. Sousuke coughed and fought the urge to let his dinner escape his sudden protesting stomach. The silver haired male seemed even more amused by that, daring to spray the musk in his direction. Until he chased the other out of the bathroom. 

-0- 

Before he knew it, it was April. The beginning of spring lurking around the corner, just as the birth was. 

He had been getting awful cramps sporadically, they didn't last long, but if they were a sign of what was to come… 

Two weeks into the month and he was counting the days until his due date neared. The cramps had gotten worse this morning and had lasted longer. He hadn't visited the midwife anymore since being here, and had missed the chance of having the exact date being told to him, on when she would do the procedure. He had her number ready though. 

An intense wave of one of the cramps had him sitting up straight and completely tensed up, it hurt like nothing before. Gin and Kira momentarily glanced at him. When they became a regular occurrence in the past hours he was getting fidgety, trying to stay concentrated and relax for the next contraction that he by now anticipated. 

When Gin began annoying Izuru for something, plainly dominating the timid blond and trying to persuade him to do something he didn't want, Sousuke snapped at the fox to "Shut the hell up!" He was breaking his focus on breathing dammed it! 

The two had looked wide eyed at his outburst, when they saw his uncomfortable state they asked if everything was alright. 

"No, I…think it's time." 

"Did your water break?" the fox deadpanned. 

He would throttle Gin, if he wasn't in so much pain right now. 

"Do I look like a damn woman to you?!" the brunet screwed his own hand into fists, leaving crescent marks into his skin with the way he was squeezing his hands. 

He had found a new respect for women. It was just unbearable, how did mothers even want this a second time? Was it even worth it to get into the Soul Palace? Not that he could change it now…he had to get through this. 

Kira had sprang up from his seat, mumbling how he was going to get towels ready and warm water. 

"You need…to call the midwife." He ground out to Gin between his teeth. 

The silver haired male had to start searching for his cell phone when the brunet couldn't find it. His phone was normally nearby but the moment he needed it, it was gone! Sousuke couldn't get it himself. He was afraid to move too much, besides the frequenting cramps kept him still. 

It took Gin way too long to find it, when the fox did finally get a hold of it, the other looked at him. "What do I say?" 

Why was everyone so excited and nervous when he was the only one entitled to be feeling this way?! 

"Oh I don't know…how about the fact that I'm having freaking twins right now. Demand her that she get here instantly." His speech was rushed and not as commanding as he would have liked. 

It took a while longer to convince her to come over and deliver the babies here, there was just no way he was getting to the clinic. And after all but yelling into the phone to get her ass here, she finally obeyed. Gin was massaging his ear where he made the other temporarily deaf when he had come over to the fox , as the silver haired one's negotiations didn't work. 

The next big contraction hit and it had him dropping to his knees, half hanging on to the table. This was insane, the pain was intense. 

"I think…I prefer a blast from Kurosaki's Final Getuga Tenshou over this." 

Gin had the nerve to say "Can be arranged." At the brunet's deadly glare, the fox knelt down beside him. "She said somethin' about tryin' ta relax and breath out when the contractions hit." 

Easy for her to say. He had been trying that for a while now and it didn't help. The cramps even seemed to get worse. Gin wasn't of much comfort to him, not that anyone could comfort him now. And it was probably for the best that Kisuke wasn't here, he would have most likely chewed the other out. 

The midwife arrived and she calmly asked how he was doing. 

He was just about ready to explode with fury, but taking out his anger on her didn't work. She didn't seem fazed by it, simply shushing him. Gin seemed slightly impressed. 

She asked for Kisuke and at everyone's sudden silence didn't touch further on the subject. 

Inspecting Kira's handiwork in the bedroom, she commented how the blond seemed to be the only one handling the situation in the right way. Gin had protested the procedure was being done on his bed, even though Sousuke had taken over that place for the past four months already, but a stare from the midwife had the fox silently agreeing it was best done there. 

She finally came to him, asking if he would come over to the bedroom. At his snapped 'no!', he felt her hand gently touch his upper arm. "Do not touch me!" 

She encouraged him to stand anyways via her hand, tightening her grip. He stood up very slowly, his way to the bedroom wasn't any faster. During their small track she kept a hand ready to lean on and ignoring his furious rants. "Your foolish breathing exercises don't work." 

Gin had stayed far away from the room, while Kira stayed beside the midwife, she was going to need someone's help. 

After the preparations she made him take off his kimono when the brunet refused to undress with the vice-captain in the same room. Eventually doing as he was told when the pain became too much to bear. He sat down hunched over with his back to her as she prepared the anesthetic. 

"I'm going to give you local anesthesia instead of a general one. There are no monitors available to check your vital functions and pressure system." 

He nodded, she just needed to get them out. Even if she had the right machinery available, she still wouldn't have been able to get to his locked reiatsu. 

He was wondering what she was waiting for but the next contraction prevented him from asking about it. When it waned he said "Are you going to give the prick or not?" 

She smiled and said she just did, he hadn't even noticed it with the pain. Afterwards he was made to lay on his back, his abdomen were sanitized with something before a blanket was draped over it, blocking his view. 

The brunet put an arm on his face. The pain may have been reduced to feeling nothing below, but he was getting nauseous and the procedure could clearly be felt; the feeling of literally being prodded. 

Taking out the first baby actually didn't take too long in comparison to the preparations. After a quarter of an hour he heard Izuru awing and a sudden loud wail. He didn't really know how to react when the baby, still a bloody mess, was placed on his chest. But it was almost instinct that took over when he cradled the child closer. 

He always hated the sound of crying children, but at this moment all that went through him was an euphorically emotional dance inside of him. The second one was placed on the other side of his chest soon after. The first twin had calmed down considerably and the midwife instructed Kira to clean the child and wrap him in a blanket since she was going to be busy a while longer with the aftercare. 

Sousuke almost felt possessive of the child and didn't want to hand him over to the other, but did so anyway. He couldn't move much now. 

"What are you going to name them?" she asked. 

He looked down at the second twin in his arm, they had small tufts of blond hair and eyes the color of amber with a hint of silver that resembled familiar gray ones. 

"Daichi and Koichi Urahara." He said, a confidant boost suddenly going through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and the comments, I really appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Grimmjow visited him a couple of weeks after Yoruichi. The blond was only allowed one visitor every three weeks. 

The blue haired one had told Kisuke that he was also treated of suspicion of working with them on the conspiracy against the throne. Being one of Aizen's followers once, must make him automatically liable of participation in Aizen's plans. 

"Are you under some sort of supervision then?" that would be Urahara's fault, the blond told the King Aizen knew of the truth behind the Hogyoku for a very long time. But questioning the brunet's former Espada on it seemed a bit far-fetched. They weren't getting any further on the case, so the Seireitei, or maybe even the King himself, were getting desperate. 

The blue haired one had his ankle hoisted over his other leg in a relaxed posture. "Nope, just interrogated a couple of times. Especially about his time in Las Noches, thinking he had his plans introduced to us or something…" The panther looked around them, discerning if they were alone and nobody could overhear their conversation. "…but, they did something to ta entrance of ta Shinigami world in your basement." 

Something that would pick up intruding reiatsu, most likely. 

He didn't know how many times he had to repeat to the interrogation force that Aizen's reiatsu was locked, he was virtually untraceable. 

"Have you seen Kurosaki-san?" 

The relaxed posture turned a little tense, with his leg shaking in agitation. "He got his degree, I heard and left for his honeymoon." 

The youngster was turning a blind eye to his own problems, not that Kisuke could judge Kurosaki… 

"I actually meant about the things he said to the council." 

Ichigo had meddled into Kisuke's 'betrayal' as soon as he heard of the blond's captive state. Immediately stepped up to some of the council members of Central 46. Yoruichi had to restrain the Substitute to prevent from getting Kisuke into more trouble. 

Ichigo couldn't solve everything, it's time the younger man thought of himself. 

"Oh." Grimmjow looked somewhat embarrassed. "He was pardoned for the things he said, I guess. He's not a Shinigami after all…Ya know, this place is really horrible. Even if I've only gotten a glimpse of it." The Espada looked at him. "He treated prisoners with respect." 

He pertaining to Aizen. 

Kisuke narrowed his eyes. 

"It's April…do you think he's give-" 

"Grimmjow." Kisuke interrupted. 

"Yeah, okay I get it. It's none of my dammed business." 

The blond nodded once, avoiding the other’s eyes. 

"Look, I be ta last ta defend him, but…the way he treated ya." 

Kisuke picked in on the other’s sentence quickly, tone heated with aggravation. "By defying me all the time." 

The other replied slowly, "He accepted a lot more from ya than any other person. He respects ya a great deal…" 

"So much respect, that he framed me, yet again!" Kisuke stood up, pacing the space of the small room. He put a hand through his messy hair, noticing he was actually trembling from pent up rage. He sighed in exasperation. "Listen, there is no need for you to make me feel better…I don't need any reward for helping you at Hueco Mundo's downfall. And Aizen definitely doesn't deserve a million chances to be forgiven. I was stupidly in love and only got that after an encounter with prison." the blond motioned with his hands to the environment around them. 

The slightly pained expression the panther gave him, made Kisuke feel a little guilty. 

"Alright, just thought ya needed ta know that." the panther nodded in a way of saying his goodbye. 

As he left, the blond oddly had an image of a cat with his tail tucked in between his legs, in his mind. 

Being cooped up in prison was making him go absolute mad, and the slightest hint of Aizen could get his reiatsu boiling. 

-0- 

Aizen groaned when one of the twins began wailing loudly again. Reluctantly getting up to walk over toward the playpen at the foot of his bed. It was Daichi; the twin with the remnants of the Hogyoku. That child was seriously crying all the time. 

He had just fed the twins and after walking around with the crybaby on his arm for the last half hour, Daichi finally fell asleep. Putting the baby back into the bed, the child slept for exactly 10 minutes before crying for attention again. 

Its twin wasn't as loud, only crying when he actually needed something. 

Kira was a lot of help, he enthusiastically sprang in to take over from him, much to Gin's chagrin. But the blond was away for a couple of days, back in Soul Society. And Gin was at work so that left the brunet to deal with the kids on his own. 

He was constantly busy; if he wasn't shushing Daichi, he was changing diapers or feeding them. And the kids took turns in that department… 

He had ripped one of the reiatsu sealing blankets into shreds, coating the inside of the playpen. It could serve as some safety to help conceal their reiatsu. And when he took them into his arms, they were mostly wrapped in the specialized baby blankets that Kisuke had made. 

Sousuke looked down at the loud twin, who kicked his arms and legs angrily around. "My child, will you ever be quiet?" the baby was getting even more fussy. 

The sound stopped when he took the little one into his arms. Rocking the child gently had Daichi falling asleep in no time. If he dared to put the infant down again, the crying would return… it was just tiring, he was lucky if he got at least three hours of sleep now. 

He moved back towards the bed, lying down on his side as he put the child carefully down in the nook of his arm. Daichi's amber eyes following him, as if to make sure Sousuke was nearby, before they closed slowly again. The kid seemed to be fighting his sleep, afraid he would be put back into the playpen. 

It worked though, since the little one fell asleep soundly. 

Sousuke put his head on the pillow, trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. He was just drifting off when Koichi started protesting lightly from in the playpen. 'God no.' the brunet hoped he wouldn't start…but it was too late. It went off like a siren, and in unison its twin reacted to it. 

This was a nightmare, it just didn't stop… 

After a diaper change and rocking another 40 minutes, everything went quiet again. Both fast asleep, finally. 

He had been standing by the playpen for a while, afraid that if he should move, their alarm would go off again. He was beginning to get weary of this. It's not that he didn't want the children. But, he had underestimated taking care of a baby. 

And not only that… their appearance made him constantly think of Kisuke. Their blond hair and their eyes when you looked a certain way… 

He missed Urahara, he needed him. 

Very carefully, after rearranging their blanket, he stepped away from the pen. When no sound followed, except their breathing, he laid himself back down on the bed. Finally getting some well deserved night rest…for exactly three hours. 

-0- 

Kisuke looked from Yoruichi to Kyouraku. "So I'm free?" 

"You're on parole." the Captain Commander clarified. 

"It's the best arrangement that we got out of the negotiations with Central 46." Yoruichi smiled. 

So that's why they tempered with the secret entrance. 

"There are certain terms you're going to have to agree to though," 

The blond shrugged nonchalantly to the proposal. Anything would be better than the cell he had been confined to for months. 

"Your reiatsu will be monitored." 

They were going to keep track of him. 

"And you won't be allowed out of the house without supervision." 

The blond frowned. What purpose would the Seireitei gain of letting him go back to the human world? And under complete control…were they expecting Aizen to come back? "Am I to be used as bait?" he questioned. 

Yoruichi's face confirmed it. "The kids should be borne by now, Kisuke. He's bound to show you your offspring, no?" 

Kisuke snorted. "He only thinks of himself, he's not going to come back for that." 

"The Seireitei doesn't have a lot of options concerning Aizen right now. It's a possibility and that's something we can work with. It's the only term they agreed on to set you free. Besides, you're being put in a better environment." 

Oh, he would agree solely for that, but, was he ready for a possible confrontation with Aizen? 

"Say you're right. What happens to Aizen?" 

Yoruichi and Shunsui looked at each other briefly. "He's not going to escape his punishment now." 

He hoped they were going to lock him up for the rest of his life then. 

"And the children?" 

"Naturally, they stay with you, Kisuke." Yoruichi said. 

The blond looked at the Captain Commander for confirmation. After his nod, Kisuke agreed to those terms. 

He was glad to finally be back home, instantly going to the bathroom to freshen up. He went to his bedroom next, he would finally be able to get some decent rest. Or so he thought… 

The sheets still had the faintest scent of Aizen on them, which was ridiculous, cause after so long, there couldn't be any traces left of the other anymore. He concluded it was all in his head as he stripped off the sheets and put them in the washing machine. 

Passing one of the guestrooms that wasn't occupied by Grimmjow, made him notice the delivery package, with a certain invoice strapped to it. The baby cribs… 

The blond closed his eyes tightly, refusing to let out the angry tears that were welling up. He was not going to give the traitor that satisfaction! 

He'd lost already too much to him; his Hogyoku, his reputation, his love and now his own blood. The other had completely destroyed him, worse was that it was partially his own fault. He deliberately walked into the other’s trap. 

He ripped off the piece of paper, balling it up into his fist. 

He got nothing out of his relationship with the other. The brunet had cost him a lot of time, money and left him with a broken heart. 

-0- 

"Damn it!" 

Aizen's eyes swept over to the fox who was sitting up on the couch after being woken up by the twins' cries. 

"Aren't ya gonna take a look at them?!" 

"I have a headache." The brunet countered back. 

"Yeah, an ya wonder why?!" the silver haired male pointed at the room where the cries were coming from. "You go an look at yer children! I need my sleep." 

What made the fox think he deserved more sleep than Sousuke? "No." he stated plainly. 

The other’s brows furrowed. "Ye're gonna do that right now. I've worked a whole night, I'm not gonna listen to yer spawn cryin' the whole day!" 

The brunet stayed firmly with his decision. "You will not call my children that again. They need to cry it out, or they'll get used to being picked up by letting out the faintest of noises." 

"It's not like they're gonna have a better personality with ya as ta mother." 

The fox knew well enough that the word 'mother' would trigger a huge argument between them. 

"Did you not say 'you needed sleep?'" 

The other pointed at the bedroom in emphasis. 

"Then simply be quiet yourself and wear earplugs." 

The silver haired one glared at him, but Sousuke didn't waver his own stare. The fox let himself drop down again on the couch, putting a pillow over his head to try and block out the noise. 

Without any success though, since he stood up completely a bit later, walking passed him to search through some drawers. But Gin kept staring him down with a dirty glance. 

"Besides, I think ya need ta stop trying ta convince mah Izuru-chan ta help ya in raising them." 

Oh so that was his problem. Kira didn't give Gin enough attention anymore. 

"I do not need to convince him. He does it on his own." 

"Yeah? I sure as hell hope ya don't think I'm gonna help in raising another man's offspring." 

Aizen chuckled. "Do not feel obliged to do so. I'm not planning on staying here." 

The brunet rolled his eyes at the other's "S'good. Ta sooner, ta better." 

The idiot took him in, in the first place. He was just throwing a tantrum about Kira's focus being relocated to something other than the fox. It was purely Gin's possessive nature. 

"I might have to look out or he would steal my Hogyoku. Simply to get one of his own." 

Kira seemed all ready at the prospect of receiving the other’s child. 

"Absolutely not!" Gin…not so much. "I don't want him goin' crazy like ya did." the other added with an evil chuckle. 

The brunet sneered at the fox while the other stuck his tongue out to him. "Child." 

Gin stuck earplugs into his ear after that statement, saluting him with the finger as response before going back to the couch. Turning up the volume of his music he was listening to. 

Why did he let Gin linger so long at his side during his reign again? The other was simply a nuisance. 

It wasn't only the threat of spoiling the kids, and thus teaching them that crying would certainly work in vying for his attention. It was also the fact that he needed to be away from them, for just a second, how horrible that even sounded. But their constant crying was indisputably exhausting. 

He had hardly any time for himself, and that was a huge change in comparison to the way he led his life before the arrival of the kids. 

But he cared for his children, he wouldn't want any harm to befall them. He just needed to get used to dividing his attention. 

-0- 

Being in familiar surroundings gave Kisuke back his previous exuberance. At least while interacting with the customers. 

Because he was constantly reminded by his friends of his mistake with Aizen. As if they wanted to make sure that if the traitor showed up, he wouldn't fall back into his arms. Or that's at least how Tessai had worded it. 

Their concern was to be expected, but they needed to relent their constant worrying. Isshin even wanted to take up the other guestroom. 

The blond needed to put an end to their overbearing protective position over him. He was perfectly capable of handling Aizen alone. 

The younger Kurosaki had visited him after his honeymoon, together with Isshin. The older Kurosaki visited him regularly nowadays, still not trusting him alone. 

It was an awkward atmosphere, the tension almost tangible. Especially with Grimmjow and Ichigo doing their best to ignore each other. 

"This will do you some good, Urahara-san, you'll finally be able to breathe freely." 

It could be perceived that the youngster meant either getting out of prison, or Aizen's absence. 

The older thought it to be the latter. "You should find yourself a nice girl. Finally a real relationship, you've played around long enough. Try a normal and stable bond." 

The blue haired one looked at Isshin with a grimace, and Ichigo suddenly avoided looking in the panther's direction. 

"You know that I don't have any interest in women." Kisuke told his best friend. 

Isshin made a motion with his hand, as if to wave away Kisuke's statement. "You got brainwashed by Aizen, it's time you stepped up and-" 

He did step up, standing up from his chair, as the three of them looked up at him. A stony look took over his face. "There was no mind control, ever! They were my own decisions. I think it's time that everybody stopped trying to fix me, as if Aizen left me completely unable to fend for myself. The things that have happened between us, only I can judge over them!" 

He left them sitting in bewilderment, but he still heard Isshin's dumbfounded "Did I say something wrong?" 

-0- 

The alcohol numbed Kisuke's feelings. He had never resorted to such means as drowning his sorrows before, but right now, it was the only thing that gave him some comfort. A bottle of Sake and Benihime were the only company that didn't throw disapproval at him whilst residing in this pathetic state. 

Though his zanpakuto had always griped about her disapproval over their relationship, she was a figment of his soul and therefore had come to understand their relationship along the way. Or had, at least, accepted Kisuke's feelings for the traitor. Thus, she was the only one who could sympathize with him. 

And it all came down to the same thing each time. He could try to deny it as much as he wanted, but, this place reminded him more of them than anyone's accusations. The place where he had held Aizen, kissed him, or even made love to him. Their memories just haunted him. 

Every whispered word that seemed real, or any genuine smile by the other… 

Aizen had made the blond lose all of his inhibitions. He had let down every guard around the other and the brunet had trampled all over that. 

Above that, was every action he regretted not taking; he should have shoved Aizen into the hands of someone else when the brunet had had the notes of the Hogyoku in his hands. 

It had been obvious by then, where Aizen's true sentiment lay. 

Even without the other’s mask, when Sousuke's vulnerability shined through, Kisuke should have stood by his point. And not let any of his emotions interfere, or bow down to any of the other’s whims. 

But Kisuke was not going to let the brunet drag their children down into the other’s curtain of illusions! He was ready to face Aizen, let the brunet try and make amends, he was going to give him a run for his money. 

The blond was going to make sure the other finally received the penalty he deserved! 

He was gripping his cup of Sake with such force that the little cup got crushed into his hands. 

-0- 

After a few days Urahara was getting back into his daily routine. Accepting the fact that he would have to face Aizen someday, had him even looking forward to it. The other wouldn't get any chance now to play his mind games. 

Yoruichi smiled. "You're picking up your life again." 

"I can't run away forever." 

Someone had to accompany him outside of the house, the Seireitei entrusted him in her care. She had probably used her noble title in some way though, since she helped him escape once in the past after all. 

In one of the aisles in the store, he met the vice-captain of the third division. He greeted the younger man, while the other blond seemed startled by his presence. Clearly in shock with the wide eyed look he was giving Urahara. 

Kisuke reassured the other that he was released from prison, seeing as the other blond's nervous posture didn't let up. 

The box of baby formula in the vice-captain's hand should have brought up questions. He didn't directly make a connection then. "Seems like your tastes have changed in the real world." Kisuke joked. 

It escaped the other’s amusement entirely, because Kira suddenly seemed to tremble and stutter in trepidation. "Oh…" the younger man looked surprised by the item in his hand, his other hand went to the nape of his neck, and his eyes darted around anxiously. "Oops, I hadn't…noticed." putting the box of formula quickly back in the rack, knocking a couple of items off in his haste. 

Kisuke stepped over to help him, the other was always kind of clumsy. But the vice-captain took every fallen item into his own hands, putting them back in the wrong place, before taking almost blindingly another item into his hands; claiming it was the goods he was looking for. Which happened to be some cereal. "Found it! Bye!" 

Yoruichi looked at Kisuke, giving him a silent acknowledging look. "You think he's the one who's helping…" They both looked back at the other blond's retreating form, before they both said at the same time, "Nah." 

-0- 

"Cereal?" Sousuke said displeased. "You can go back immediately for what I specifically asked you to bring with you." But the blond seemed almost upset about something. 

Gin gave him a look, since he was the only one who could harass his Izuru-chan. 

"Did ya see someone from the Seireitei?" 

"You could say that…" 

He and Gin both told the blond not to worry about it, the store was a public place. 

"But, you still need to get the formula, and bring a couple of them, I like to be prepared and not be without when I'm trapped in the house alone." 

The timid blond made a noise of discomfort. 

"I'll get it from ta night store." Gin sprang up in Kira's defense. 

"And what do I feed them until you get it?" he groaned out to the fox. 

The other’s Cheshire smile and chuckled "Give them ta breast mommy." earned him the box of cereal thrown into his grinning face. 

And even later he managed to shoo the fox out to get the desired powder. During the fox's absence Kira seemed to avoid him like the plague. Odd, he thought the blond had actually warmed up to him. But his shyness had returned, busying himself with the twins instantly. 

-0- 

After a couple of weeks the Seireitei's hawk like gaze subsided and Aizen treaded the grounds closest to the apartment, with extra caution on keeping an eye out for any Shinigami or threat. 

He had some room to move this way, and could get things from the store on his own, with Gin's money of course. 

And after seeing a fitness center nearby, he decided to exercise some of the leftover baby weight that wouldn't dissolve fast enough. It was some me time he could spend solely on himself, something he desperately needed lately. In no time he was pleased to see the results of his previously fit body again. 

He would come here every day in the evening, or at least the days Kira slept over, so the blond could babysit the twins. It was done late enough so Gin had to go to work. A schedule that fit for the three of them. 

Coming back earlier to the apartment since he had forgotten something on his way to the gym, he caught the blond's distressed conversation with Gin. 

"But I saw him again, I don't know how long we'll be able to keep this a secret from Aizen." 

The brunet silently closed the front door, the two were in the bedroom. 

"He's goin' out, he's bound ta see him. Did ta shopkeeper say anythin'?" 

"What?!" the brunet spoke up, gaining the other two's attention. The yell had one of the kids start crying. "He was released?!" 

Kira almost literally hid behind the silver haired male, while Gin nodded. 

"Where is he now? At home?" 

At the second nod from the fox, he immediately turned around again towards the front door. 

"No, Aizen! I don't think,…" but the brunet had already left the apartment."…he wants ta see ya." Gin ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m going to let the twins age like normal kids, at least until they’re 18, after that the aging process will slow down like a Shinigami.   
> Aizen’s mentality here: I needed Aizen to experience a bit of postpartum depression, he’s after all not exactly the most paternal being and secondly he’s extremely selfish, so the arrival of the twins is going to be a huge change to someone who’s been so consumed with himself all along. 
> 
> And for the rant on the end of the manga: Personally I don’t really mind the relationships, since we have Fanfiction to correct that. ;) As for the actual end, it kind of left fans wanting, so many questions left unanswered… On the good side, Aizen, albeit in prison, seemingly depressed and totally given up on hope, he’s still alive.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

There were several things Kisuke had in mind, that he would like to say once Aizen stood in front of him. But the moment the brunet actually stood in front of him, and all their memories came flashing before his eyes, all the things he had wanted to say, simply vanished. 

His nerves raging like fire, and his heart beat as if he had just been running. The adrenaline coursed through him. 

"There are a couple of things I still need to tell you." 

He had expected the Seireitei to appear immediately, just one look at the other though, told him that waiting on them would be futile. Aizen's reiatsu was indeed still locked down. With the brunet standing just a few paces from him, the blond could feel his own pressure cloaked around the other. 

He motioned to the couch to sit down, he was a lot more comfortable with them both at the same height. The blond made sure to take the armchair so it guaranteed some space between them. 

"I'll listen." Kisuke said flatly when the other kept looking at him, curious about what Sousuke had to say or whatever illusion the brunet was going to try to force upon him. 

"I'm sor-" 

"No. I don't want to hear that." That was the last thing he wanted to hear come out of the other’s mouth. The thousand fake apologies he had heard in the past were enough. He was not going to show any mercy now! 

"You're not going to like hearing it." 

The blond doubted there was still anything the other could say that he would like to hear. 

The brunet looked away from him. "When I had gotten the cuffs, I devised up a plan," 

No surprise there. His eyes swept over Sousuke, nothing betrayed he had had the twins. Where were they? The pregnancy charm however was still being worn by the other, the necklace was shortened so the little bell reached just past his collarbone instead of reaching his stomach. 

"I would use your love for me, against you," Kisuke's eyes closed briefly at the harsh truth he had been so blinded from. He reopened his eyes to glare at the other. "I would do it, in order to gain freedom." 

"Congratulations, it worked. Only half of it, sure. But, you've gotten pretty far with your plan." Kisuke said bitterly. 

"You're wrong. I didn't get anywhere at all. Since I did not expect to learn to care for you." 

Impressive, how the other always found a way to give his versions a different take whenever he pleased. 

"Really?" he said full of disbelief. 

The other’s eyes turned to him, the subtle plea disappearing instantly. "I know how this might come across right now." 

No amount of sympathy would get him to forgive the other. The blindfold that the other had so unceremoniously wrapped around him had slipped. No further sweet words would get him to fall for Aizen's lies again. 

"I don't think you have any idea how I'm feeling right now." The supposed 'I have fallen for you in the long run' was the most natural path Sousuke's plan could go from here on. Those feelings were, of course, an act. 

He had said it before; that Sousuke was incapable of loving another, and Sousuke's confession was the undeniable truth of Kisuke's statement. The other didn't know what that emotion entailed, it was just another means to take advantage. 

Sousuke's expression seemed to soften. "I know that this might be a little unbelievable, Kisuke. But, I really do care for you." 

"Just stop already. I don't want to hear that either." The blond took out his fan, fluttering it in a slightly disinterested manner. Those words did nothing for him at the moment. It only replaced the previous adrenaline he felt with downright irritation. 

If the other didn't want to be thrown out immediately, he better come up with something else. 

When the other’s hand went to the pendant, clutching the bell as if it was some good luck charm, Kisuke asked "Better tell me where the children are." 

"Do hear me out first. The confession I just made, is something I had wanted to bring up when we spent our last day together." 

The blond shrugged. "It doesn't change anything." But, if he had told it then, would it have changed anything at the time? The blond had still been wrapped up in the other’s darkness. Would it have opened his eyes, or would he have stepped further into the dark? 

Sousuke informed him of the confirmation that the brunet knew of the guards coming for him. 

"Who told you?" who was the other’s speculated confidant? 

When the other's name fell from Sousuke's lips, Kisuke had to suppress a surging jealousy. Gin…and that when he had thought the silver haired one wasn't competition… 

"I thought you killed him." 

"Apparently not." 

"Also planned?" 

The brunet arched a brow. "You mean the entire time? No, he only showed up later. He would help me escape from the guards." 

"Tch…" Kisuke prevented an almost bitter laugh from escaping. 

"I had no other choice." 

"And so you run off with him the first chance you get." The blond bit out. 

"No, it is not like that. I told you, Gin and I never were together. That was the truth." 

"It's really hard to tell with you. For all I know, you could be lying, yet again." The accusations came out rather easily. 

"It is the truth, I had to run; Soul Society would have locked me up." 

And that is exactly where he belonged; a place where he wouldn't get the chance to spread his lies. When he told this to the brunet, Sousuke retorted "And that is exactly why I could not have you finding out. You would have shunned me." 

So now it was Kisuke's own fault?! The constant act of turning everything in his own favor or the way the brunet made himself turn out to be the victim angered Kisuke. "I would have followed you! I would have protected you from them! Had you been honest the entire time…" he trailed off, leaving the unspoken promise of a possible forgiveness. 

"But, you told me that you would side with the Seireitei." 

The blond nodded. "If you posed as a danger, yes." 

The other’s eyes widened as if in sudden realization. 

Kisuke repeated the question on the whereabouts of their kids. 

At the information that their twins resided with the fox, he told the brunet that this time; neither the brunet nor Gin would escape their punishment. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The brunet's threatening tone made Kisuke sit up straighter. "You would not want to lock up the carrier of your children, neither do you want any innocent victims dragged along," The blond's glare centered fully on the brunet. "Kira is going to defend Gin , and is going to be seen as a perpetrator. You do not want him getting involved in our mess. Leave them out of it." 

So Kira was involved after all… 

He pointed at the other, pressure flaring up. "You're not going to manipulate me." 

Sousuke's demeanor changed entirely, becoming vulnerable, lost vibe taking over instead. The brunet came over to kneel right in front of him, taking one of Kisuke's hands into his own. "I have no such intentions. This is just between us. Kisuke, please, I do care for you." 

The blond ignored the defenseless expression in the other’s eyes. The curtain that had dropped to show Sousuke's unguarded emotion. The most truthful the other could come across. He swallowed, bent on not giving in. 

"And with the arrival of the twins, I know for sure that I need you beside me." 

Kisuke cynically shook his head. "Do you even believe your own lies?" 

The quiver in Sousuke's voice made him look into the other’s eyes. "At first I didn't. But, after a while it's the only thing I know." 

The blond could almost hear the pain in that sentence. But he was not going to relent, not this time. "Like your fake love for me, huh." 

The other’s soft "It is not fake anymore." made Kisuke grit his teeth to try and stay resilient. 

"Do you love me?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. The words he had longed to hear the other say… 

But Sousuke looked almost confused when he answered "I…don't know." 

It was even worse than a fake confession. "You don't know?!" he yelled, yanking his hand back from the other’s grip. Standing up, he moved away from Aizen. 

His back was turned while the brunet continued "It is difficult to explain, Kisuke-" 

"Get out." The blond had turned around, steeling his face to get rid of his conflicting emotions at this moment. 

The other had stood up as well, pleadingly, begging him to see it from the brunet's point of view. 

"Get out," He repeated. "Don't be so sure I wouldn't turn you in, just because you carried my children." Sousuke took a few paces into his direction but was resolutely stopped when the blond unsheathed Benihime. Kisuke had thought she would almost sing at the prospect of attacking the traitor, but she stayed surprisingly quiet. 

Sousuke on the other hand had a look of shock going through his eyes. "What about the children? Do you not want to see them?" was asked softly, hesitatingly. 

"You know damn well the answer to that." Kisuke stated firmly. Right now, he needed a moment to process all this. He couldn't let his emotions gain the upper hand now. 

How could the blond go about this in the most delicate way possible? Capturing Aizen at this moment, could potentially endanger the twins. The fox wouldn't be easily persuaded to hand over the kids, if he were to be driven into a corner. 

"I see." The brunet said in a defeated tone, giving him a last sorrowful glance before he left. 

The inner turmoil going through Kisuke right now was a storm of inconsistent thoughts. He was torn between just shoving Aizen into the hands of Central 46, and taking him into his own arms. 

The last part made him just mad at himself. He had tried so hard to bury his feelings for the other for the past months, Sousuke showed up minutely and all his resolve wavered. He couldn't let that happen. What would others think when he almost gave in again to the liar… 

'Let them think what they want, it's your life.' Benihime retorted. 

Kisuke clutched the handle of his zanpakuto tighter. 'And where were you?! Normally you're so steadfast on attacking him.' 

She told him it would be dishonorable to fight him when Sousuke was defenseless. Not to mention the fact that Sousuke did deliver his kids. 

Aizen was anything but defenseless. The brunet used other methods to come out victorious. His mind games were dangerous. 

Should he tell Soul Society of Sousuke's visit? And like Aizen had threatened, should he involve Kira into their mess? The vice-captain meant no harm, Kisuke was sure of that but he couldn't let Aizen and Gin escape their deserved penalty. Especially Aizen. 

-0- 

Sousuke came back to the apartment. Kira had Daichi in his arms, feeding the child his bottle, the blond looked at him. Carefully inquiring how it went. 

The brunet took the infant into his arms when he began stirring at Sousuke's presence. "Well, I can presume you can make up your own mind at that." 

The vice-captain bowed his head lightly at the tone. 

What had went wrong?! Why didn't Kisuke believe him? 

"Maybe he needs time?" the timid blond tried. 

Time? Didn't Kisuke have enough of that while being coped up in prison? Why didn't he instantly side with him? 

"I doubt it, where's Gin?" 

When Kira had told him the other had gone off to work, he advised the blond to go back to Soul Society. 

"Why?" the other asked confusedly. 

"Because I told Kisuke the truth. He knows you're here and I cannot assure your safety here anymore." 

Kira's eyes widened slightly. 

There was no guarantee that Kisuke would keep the timid blond out of their situation. He did hope though that the shopkeeper would try to find a solution on his own. But considering Kisuke hadn't really acknowledged him in a positive way, it was safe to assume the possibility of the Shinigami world's meddlesome behavior. 

And the third division's vice-captain was weak minded, he would cave in to an interrogation, despite being Gin's pet. Sousuke could care less about Gin's safety, but Kira didn't exactly deserve this. 

And his twins…he looked down at the twin with the remnants of the Hogyoku. His amber eyes watching him, the child had stopped feeding so he set the bottle aside. Maneuvering the infant in a more upright position so the little one's head was resting on his shoulder. 

He had to absolutely guarantee the safety of his children, surely Kisuke couldn't be cruel like that. The blond had been so delighted at the prospect of becoming a father. He needed to arrange a meeting so Kisuke could meet his children. If the blond was confronted by them, it could possibly change Urahara's mind. Give him a push in the right direction; his direction. 

It was best done on neutral terrain. The shop was connected to Soul Society. It had been a risky decision to visit the shopkeeper, but he just needed to see him, and tell him the truth he should have told him months ago. 

Gin's apartment was a dead giveaway to their hiding place, in public would therefore be better. The twins naturally did not have a gigai, he could make one, he had learned from Kisuke's attempts centuries ago. It was a blatant rip off, but he did not have the right means now. They would be invisible to mortals anyways. Hidden away in a stroller he could take the kids anywhere. 

It wasn't a 100% success since Shinigami could still ambush him, and with the twins attracting Hollows… he just hoped he could count on Kisuke's sensibility when their kids' safety was at hand. 

He could contact Kisuke through his phone, it was probably best if they interacted through such communication devises first. 

"I think… I'm staying here." 

Sousuke glanced at Kira's firm decision. "No, you cannot. Gin would not like it if anything happened to you." 

The other didn't bow his head this time, resolutely looking Sousuke in the eyes. "I'm staying here," the blond seemed certain of his decision. Despite Gin treating him in such a horrible way, there were times when you could see the love he held for the blond. And it was more than just a possessive hold over the vice-captain. "Anything's better than the Seireitei. I don't get appreciated there, while Gin does." 

But to actually defect and become a rogue Shinigami for another? Forever living in the mortal world. Set aside your Shinigami powers to live a simple life…well, as simple as the human world could be. 

Now that he thought further on it, Sousuke would do the same for Kisuke. Not the part of setting everything aside though, his dream of taking over the Soul Palace would one day become a reality. "If that is your choice." he could fight it out with Gin. "Are you prepared to run and hide your entire life?" 

"You and Gin did that too," that was different, they had a plan and a place to go; Hueco Mundo had been up for the taking. Not anymore with the Seireitei starting their business there, on his grounds none the less. "Besides, Gin has been living here for a while now and he likes it here. I can adapt, especially with Gin beside me." the blond said. 

Whether it was a pitiful attempt to keep the fox loyal or not, Sousuke was not going to get involved into their troubles. He had his own things to worry about. 

-0- 

Kisuke still didn't know what the best option would be after a few days. The Seireitei didn't know of Aizen's visit, the entrance in the basement only kept track of the blond's reiatsu. After taking a look at it, he decided it only ranged over the entirety of his property, the reason he needed someone to accompany him outside. 

And a little talk with Kyouraku confirmed that Soul Society was oblivious to the brunet's appearance. Nothing hinted at them knowing it. 

"As soon as you're free from your supervision, you'll be allowed to experiment again." The Captain Commander reassured him. 

That was another drawback, deemed to be too dangerous when he had access to his lab, Kisuke was prohibited from entering it. 

"And when is that going to be?" 

Shunsui tipped his straw hat to the side, giving him a somewhat knowing stare. "When Aizen is captured." 

The blond refrained from rolling his eyes, it's something Aizen would do when he didn't get his wish. 

"You're not thrilled about it anymore?" 

"It's not like you're giving me any choice here." 

The Captain Commander grimaced. "We let you, or more like I trusted you not to lose your mind with him." He reminded Kisuke. 

The blond shook his head. "I mean, you put me with my back against the wall here. It's not a bargain you can't call it that. You're blackmailing me; saying I get my freedom again, but only in exchange for the carrier of my children." 

The other reached out to pat him on the shoulder. "We're only persuading you to prevent you from making the same mistake. Some good advice here; would be to stop seeing him as a necessity in the lives of your children. Wouldn't they be better off with someone whom has their best interest at heart? I don't think he's the person for that." 

'Shouldn't you be the one deciding that?' he heard Benihime vaguely tell him. 

Kisuke mulled over it silently. 

"Central 46 is getting impatient, you need to make a decision." 

He couldn't conclude anything yet on that matter. But he had to give them something. "He has tried to make amends, tried to get in contact…" the blond told Shunsui carefully. 

The other nodded. "We can work with that."


	7. Chapter 7

Normal POV 

_~0~Flashback~0~_

**Chapter seven**

Sousuke managed to get into contact with Kisuke. His first calls had been ignored or the blond had promptly hung up. Any show of regret and the other would abruptly end their connection. After he stopped attempting to form a decent conversation or anything resembling an apology, he got Kisuke's attention. This was mostly caused by the mention of their kids. 

He tried to have the other agree to a possible meeting. The moment he asked, there was a definite silence on the other end. The blond had eventually retorted he needed to think about it before cutting him off. 

The phone calls never lasted long, especially when Sousuke brought up their past. Kisuke took the lead in their distant transmissions, preventing the brunet from going off topic . 

Urahara had initially opted to meet them at the brunet's hiding place. Asking questions that pertained to finding out where he was, if he was still in Karakura town, to downright asking him to describe the imminent environment around it. 

He evaded answering those, if Kisuke wasn't prepared to face their past, why would he give the blond the opportunity to demand him where he stayed? 

The other was still very hostile when interacting with him, so Sousuke naturally took up a defensive stance too. It was obvious what the shopkeeper was trying to do; get him to give in by making Sousuke obey certain rules. 

It got to the point where they were both eliminating particular topics that couldn't be breached. And Kisuke didn't falter on his side when Sousuke crossed that line, cruelly cutting off their connection. The brunet couldn't even get another word in to stop the other from hanging up. While Sousuke couldn't, if the blond did ask about his whereabouts, the blond at least got off with a warning. 

It made Sousuke slightly suspicious of the possibility that the Seireitei was tapping off their conversations. Why else would the other not even listen to him for a second? 

He understood that Kisuke was angry. His last lie had been one too many, but he had told him everything he needed to know now. And there was not even the slightest hint of regret in Urahara's voice. 

When Kisuke called him, instead of the other way around, the brunet was instantly alert. 

"You said you wanted to meet on neutral terrain?" 

The brunet nodded before voicing his agreement. 

"Fine, how about the park?" the other’s statement was curt, no emotion behind it. 

The park was close to the shop and a 10 minute walk from the apartment. 

Before Sousuke could think about what he said, the brunet responded "It's one of the first places, we've been to as a couple." After the confession he had expected a dial tone to answer him. 

Kisuke seemingly evaded it, brusquely stating "It's set then? Can you come this afternoon?" 

The other seemed to be suddenly in a hurry, something was definitely not right. They agreed on an hour to meet up, and the blond easily complied. 

-0- 

Kira looked at Sousuke when he was tucking in Koichi. The little one was placed in the stroller and Sousuke was trying his best to shield off the child with the reiatsu masking blankets. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the brunet asked, only paying half attention to the looks the timid blond threw him. 

"I don't think it's a good idea." 

"I know what I'm doing." 

Kira thought it to be a possible trap, Aizen didn't deny that possibility. In fact, that seemed like a realistic reaction one could expect from the Seireitei. That is, if they were enlightened by Kisuke. 

But he doubted that the blond would actually do something so stupid. Kisuke had gone so long without the help of Soul Society. Urahara was just being cautious with him, which was normal given the circumstances. 

For fear of attracting unnecessary attention, he was going to take the silent twin. Koichi cooed up at him from in the stroller, while they walked along the road that led to the park. The children hadn't seen the outside yet after all, so all the new sounds and sights fascinated the infant. 

Like Kisuke's once said statement of 'hiding a secret child, coped up inside forever', but that would not be the kind of life Sousuke wanted for their children either. So Kisuke had to react sensibly to this meeting. They needed to work this out, it couldn't be over yet. New life should symbolize a new start; a fresh beginning. 

Arriving at the park, he saw Kisuke sitting on one of the benches. He kept his distance, hiding out of sight to first check if the coast was clear. The brunet couldn't rely on his sensing abilities anymore. The only pressure he seemed to be able to feel was Kisuke's, well excluding the twins of course, the cuffs were most likely the cause of that. 

The blond appeared to be impatiently awaiting his arrival, judging by the way his head darted in every direction, especially those directions containing a stroller. 

A couple of minutes passed the hour they agreed on, but Sousuke kept inspecting Kisuke's mannerisms. Something wasn't right… 

Kisuke seemed a little too anxious, while the prospect of finally meeting the children he fathered should rattle the blond's nerves, it almost felt like Urahara's pressure was giving out some sort of warning signal. A feeling that kept Sousuke at a distance unconsciously. They didn't have a bond, so they couldn't communicate on a more personal level, and yet, Kisuke's reiatsu had a weird feeling to it. 

The brunet inspected the reiatsu concealing pieces on the stroller, making some adjustments here and there, just in case. He was becoming rather concerned about the situation himself. Kisuke didn't give out that warning signal consciously. Had the blond gone to Soul Society as he had feared? 

A mortal bumped accidentally into the stroller, and Sousuke had pinned the poor unsuspecting teen, that had been preoccupied by his phone, against the wall. The boy had profusely apologized after seeing Sousuke's murderous glare. 

Nobody should even dare touch the stroller right now. 

Kisuke's weird feeling made the brunet think that going over would be a mistake. He glanced quickly at Koichi, who was still cooing softly. 

Half an hour had passed by, by then, while the brunet weighed his options. After deciding to give it a try, he had just in time seen the small nod Kisuke gave to one of his bystanders. It made the brunet stop clear in his tracks, just in time, still shielded from the blond's view. 

It seemed like a normal friendly greeting, were it not for the way the other pedestrians acted towards the blond's accomplice. He was ignored, thus without a gigai; concluded Sousuke. It had been a trap! And that wasn't the only accomplice… 

After paying more attention to the blond's surroundings, Sousuke could see that it was practically riddled with Shinigami. They had blended in almost perfectly. The brunet narrowed his eyes and turned around with the stroller, back towards Gin's apartment. 

Once there, he immediately dialed Kisuke. 

"You didn't show up." The blond said emphatically. 

"Oh I did. I must say, clever to use Shinigami that I do not recognize. But, do you think that still warrants you an option of ever seeing your children?!" his tone had been calm in the beginning, but the brunet couldn’t ignore the feeling of downright hurt that Kisuke would ever do something like that. 

And that had translated into his tone, raising his voice and almost yelling at the end before hanging up. 

Why would Urahara jeopardize their children's safety like that?! 

He cradled Koichi into his arms when the little one seemed a little upset by his tone. 

-0- 

Urahara put the phone aside dejectedly, telling Kyouraku he had made contact with Aizen was a mistake. He should have handled it on his own. Sousuke would never let himself get lured in like that. With Sousuke's deceptive nature, it was obviously harder to fool him. 

During Sousuke and the blond's phone calls, the onmitsukido had been present around the blond, wiretapping their conversations. It almost felt like a violation of his privacy with them listening in like that. Therefore he silenced the brunet resolutely when it became too personal. It's not like he would have caved in at the mention of their past, but he didn't want their personal lives discussed by Central 46. The members of the council were already too interested in it as it was. 

He could still hear their accusations when some of the more influential members had been gathered to discuss the mission. 

_~0~_

 _Kisuke sat down in the center of a room used for smaller, and private discussions, before the trial of a criminal. A couple of members of Central 46 were seated in front of him._

 _

Besides Kyouraku and Yoruichi, he didn't really know the rest of the people in the room. The judge, or as he liked to behave at least, looked him over with a revolting look. The blond recognized him as the one who led most hearings. The man had close ties to the Soul King and he played out that influence perfectly. 

While the blond was on parole, and thus not technically speaking a prisoner anymore, the man still felt the need to read out his 'crimes' before commencing the meeting. Fornication with the mass criminal Aizen Sousuke and let's not forget impregnating said murderer, should normally earn Kisuke the death penalty. 

That sentence seemed to be extra accentuated, lest the blond forgot the fact that he actually got off scot free for those terrible deeds. 

Kyouraku explained to the head of the council how Kisuke got back in touch with the brunet. But the man didn't seem at all that interested, focused more on questioning him on Aizen's pregnancy. 

Why were they all so focused on that? 

"How did the traitor conceive?" 

It just frustrated Kisuke, since he had answered similar questions for over a million times by now. 

"How does something like that happen?" Asked Kisuke sarcastically. "Maybe I need to begin with the birds and the bees…" Yoruichi whom stood next to him let out a chuckle at that. 

"Such insolence, all controlled by that traitor." One of them commented. 

"Oh I was not controlled I can tell you that, I was even a very willing participant." 

Shunsui had to calm the members and direct the negotiations back to the matter at hand, after that. 

"We will only catch Aizen, if Urahara-san agrees with the meeting. Aizen has expressed an interest in the possibility of letting Urahara meet his children." 

"That's like putting the cat with the cream." Another member answered. 

The blond protested trying to stand up but Yoruichi held him down with a hand on his shoulder. The criticism he had to take… 

"Not at all, it will be an ambush with members of the second division." 

Yoruichi nodded at Kyouraku's statement. "We'll follow up closely on their transmissions." 

Ambushing Aizen? They had to come up with some master plan. 

"What about the twins? I don't want my children getting hurt in the process." 

The aristocratic members seemed almost offended when Kisuke had called the twins his own voluntarily. "There are degenerative genes going through them, they are nothing more than those inbreeds that grow up in the Rukon district. They deserve no bett-" 

The blond had managed to shove off Yoruichi's hand, "Those are my children you're talking about!" 

Shunsui was the one who held him back from bashing the noble's face in though, whispering "Do not make it worse." 

The blond sat unwillingly back down. 

After the members had huddled together, talking about his outburst, the head of the council stated "It is fine, you can take care of those…kids. Further plans shall be discussed when the traitor has been caught." 

~0~

_

The truth about his children was out, even if Aizen was caught and the blond had the twins in his care, they would never be treated with respect by Soul Society. Such hate, and the babies weren't even three months old. The infants hardly even knew what was happening, and yet they were shunned already. 

Kisuke hadn't even gotten a decent chance yet at making contact. 

He was going to do this alone now, no interference by the Seireitei, very subtly. Though he was going to need Yoruichi's assistance, at least for the part of deceiving Soul Society into thinking he was still attempting to make contact throughout their methods. 

If he did it privately, far away from his shop, Aizen was more inclined to take the bait. The blond could do it at home just fine, he was under no camera surveillance, but the brunet wouldn't fall far that. 

He was going to convince Tessai to give up his house for the meetings. It couldn't last longer than thirty minutes, the maximum time he was allowed to spend outside. His friend would agree to the arrangement if Yoruichi was there to keep watch. 

The secret plan was accepted by the two, the only one he still needed to convince was Aizen. Convincing the brunet wasn't as difficult as he first presumed. But, it was obvious what the real reason for the other’s easy compliance was. 

The blond felt some sort of premonition when he finally drew back the blanket in the stroller and was met by; nothing. He growled at Aizen what the meaning of his little game was. The blond had been so close to finally seeing his children… 

"Game? There is no game. You deceived me, I had to assure the safety of our children in some way first." The brunet said calmly. A slightly annoyed stare was given to Tessai, whom had drawn his zanpakuto, and to Yoruichi who stood beside Kisuke defensively. 

"How many times have I forgiven you for your deceitful tricks?!" the blond asked back dangerously. 

"That was different, no innocent children were involved." 

"No harm would befall our children, I can assure you that. As for you…you'll probably be sent to prison." 

The brunet let out a tiny chuckle. "Is that the story you will tell our children?" 

Yoruichi stepped in. "No, more along the lines of 'the one who has brought you to this world was completely and utterly insane, so for safety reasons we had to act accordingly.'" 

Aizen smiled. "Lovely. But, I would like a private conversation with Kisuke, that means; alone." 

Tessai reminded the brunet of whose house he was in exactly. 

"They're staying. You have exactly 24 minutes to say what you have to say." 

The flat tone the blond used didn't have any effect on the brunet, since he simply sat down in one of the chairs, with one leg crossed over the other. "Well, then those are going to be some long minutes." 

"22 minutes." Kisuke snapped, but Sousuke kept watching him patiently. 

It was clear that the brunet wouldn't budge after five more minutes. Kisuke quietly told Yoruichi and Tessai to wait in the next room, because the stubborn brunet was not going to relent. And he did want to get somewhere on the matter. 

After their objections they were left alone in the room. Kisuke took the seat next to the other, making sure he scooted the chair as far away as possible from him. 

"I wonder what you were thinking, putting them in such danger…" Sousuke chided. 

"Again, they gave me their word that no harm would befall our children. You were the target, not them." The brunet's tone already brought up aggravation in Kisuke. 

"Their word?!" the brunet's laugh that followed was clearly mocking. "My dear Kisuke, you are so naïve. I've carried them, in their eyes the twins are spawn. If you want our children treated with respect you will have to follow a different path." 

Aizen was not blind to the way their children would be treated. When he asked about the other’s 'path', the brunet simply smiled. Sousuke always resorted to immoral attempts, whatever he was planning now, would without a doubt deliver the twins a one way ticket to a life of sin. The blond would not just stand by and let that happen. 

"Maybe you should have thought of all that before you disclosed the secret of the orb." He countered. 

Sousuke raised a brow. "I did not disclose the secret," the fox maybe did that then. "Neither did Gin, nor Kira. Why would I risk being taken into your ex-division as research material?" 

Was it a lie? That seemed unlikely, the brunet had after all related that reason before the pregnancy. But who could have done it, if not Aizen? 

He captured Sousuke's wrist before the brunet could caress his cheek gently. The other had scooted closer unnoticeably when the blond was going through possible candidates. 

The other spoke softly. "I know you do not want to hurt our children, Kisuke. They are something that is solely ours. I know where your loyalties lie, but, you cannot let Soul Society stake claim over that feud. Regarding our children, we should be at least allies. If only for their best interest." 

The blond stared at the other. The gentle expression in regard to their offspring was worded nicely. But the brunet had always had a way with words. 

"Since you rely so much on bringing up past events, you should certainly remember how I feel about the twins' being exposed to your delusions." The blond reminded him, releasing the grip around the other’s wrist. 

Sousuke's answer was to direct their conversation to how Kisuke was being monitored by the Seireitei. 

The blond didn't feel like giving out information, but that made Sousuke more inclined to withhold the right to see his kids. And that forced Kisuke to give out small details. 

"So your pressure is not locked?" Sousuke seemed to consider over that little bit of information. The brunet's eyes minutely swept over the cuffs before facing him with a smirk. "Without your reiatsu, I would be free." 

Kisuke didn't give out any sort of recognition. Without his reiatsu, the seals by the kidou spell were rendered useless, but not the cuffs. Since it was a permanent imprint of reiatsu. It would make it easier for Sousuke to find an end to his cuffed situation; yes, but that didn't instantly mean the brunet was free. 

The permanent imprint of reiatsu would remain, even after his death. It would be too simple if his death was all it took. The cuffs were after all an added security mechanism to the seals that locked down Aizen's pressure already. The seals he had used in their confrontation in the fake Karakura town. 

It was an added lock if you will, with Aizen's strength it was best to be precautious. And best to not let the brunet know that information, let him think that was all it took. 

"You see Kisuke, maybe that should give you more incentive to believe me that I care about you. Else I could have just seduced you and made you disappear afterwards." 

The blond chuckled. "You should hear yourself talking sometimes…" he looked at the clock and realized he should be getting back to his shop. "Will you even ever let me see them, or are you going to continue this game?" 

The brunet smiled, saying he had to think about it. 

Kisuke stood up, reminding the other his time up. The other went back to the stroller and before Sousuke could go, he asked "What are their names?" 

He hadn't even thought about that, not that he would have had a say in it, knowing Sousuke. 

The brunet just smiled and disappeared. 

Yoruichi and Tessai went over to him. The blond nodded at their concern. "I know how to handle him." 

"You think he will show up with the twins next time?" 

Kisuke shook his head. Knowing Aizen, the brunet would keep that option above his head like an ultimatum. Testing Kisuke in how far he was going to keep up his end of the bargain. 

He was going to continue doing this on his own, without Soul Society's help. Agreeing to the former lord's terms was in his best interest, for now. Once the children were safe, he was going to put his own plan into action. Because there was a definite opening in Aizen's own plans that would eventually lead to his lifelong detainment. 

Urahara was not going to let his own emotions ruin that last chance in justice. With Aizen's lifelong imprisonment would come the people's acceptance over the twins. Evil would be locked up and Kisuke could redeem the bad name of his children. 

Though, keeping his emotions at bay was easier said than done. 

The text he received from Sousuke a bit later, had the blond blinking away tears that threatened to fall. It began with a simple 'Meet your children,' followed by a picture of said twins sleeping in a crib. The two little ones were resting on their sides, facing each other. The blond tufts of hair were the first feature that Kisuke noticed of them. 

He could stare at their picture forever. And even went back to check if it was really there, multiple times. The blond just wanted to reach out and finally be able to hold his kids. He would truly savor the time that moment presented itself. 

The next text that came in had him instantly looking twice, their names blinking up from the screen 'Daichi and Koichi Urahara.' 

So he had named the kids after Kisuke after all, even paid attention to one of the blond's desired baby name for one of them. It made that little voice in the back of his head, that always seemed to defend Aizen's point of view, say 'See, he's not that bad.' 

But, it could very well be another lie, he didn't have their birth certificate as proof lying around. But that hateful remark, seemed far-fetched, even for Aizen. The brunet would gain nothing from lying about their children. 

The blond had contemplated the idea of sending some sort of gratitude for the picture. Before laying the phone aside with no reaction. 

It was normal that the brunet had sent it, he should have done that the moment he heard Kisuke was free. 

He kept his phone close, just to see the picture again a couple of times. 

-0- 

The second time Aizen came over, the brunet still didn't bring along the kids, as Kisuke had anticipated. Just the stroller again, as if to tease. 

He looked at the brunet opposite him, who was smiling gently. "Did you receive my text?" 

Aizen no doubt knew he had seen it. It's like the other sill expected some show of recognition. 

"I did. Didn't you say; you disliked the name Koichi? It wasn't to your taste as I recall." The blond watched the other carefully, they spent enough time together in those months that he could pick up on most of the brunet's hidden expressions. 

That false façade aside, there was the slightest narrowing of brown eyes. A show of irritation at being almost evaded. "I changed my mind," the brunet shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Daichi is the child with the remnants of the Hogyoku though. I figured, there's a definite difference in their strength, so best let their names symbolize their ambition later on." 

"Objectifying children and picking out favorites; first signs of bad parenting." 

A delicate eyebrow was raised by Sousuke as a clear sign of disagreement. "And slandering one parent as opposed to the other to our children isn't?" 

Kisuke would never out rightly tell the twins later on how evil their carrier actually was. He would never tarnish Aizen's name as a parent in front of them. He would also never keep Aizen from seeing the kids. Even imprisoned, the brunet would still have the right to see them. 

The brunet took a piece of paper out of the stroller, sliding it over to Kisuke as the blond glanced briefly at the certificate. "I brought their birth certificate. The midwife prepared it." 

It slightly surprised the blond that Aizen would go to such lengths to prove his honesty. It was welcome, but a little too late. 

"I thought for sure you would doubt me, especially when you didn't answer the message." 

A sense of pride went through Kisuke when he saw his name on the paper. So Aizen hadn't lied this time, it still wasn't enough to redeem his past dishonesty. He was about to pass the paper back to Sousuke, but the brunet told him the blond could keep it. 

He did answer Sousuke with a thankful smile this time. It seemed like a milestone for the other to relinquish something voluntarily. 

"How is Daichi reacting to the parts of the Hogyoku?" the scientist in Kisuke did want to research the effect it had on the little one, and check over Sousuke to see how the orb treated his host now; after depleting some of its powers. Right now though, he was just fine with the distance between them. 

"He is considerably louder than his twin," Aizen complained. "crying all the time." 

"And you think this is a natural reaction, influenced by the orb?" 

Sousuke nodded. 

The Hogyoku did accentuate negative feelings and made one completely consumed by one's darkest and deepest wishes. The negative influence of the orb on the child would have to be watched closely. It was too early to tell, if it was indeed cultivated by the object, or if Daichi was just a baby who cried a lot. 

Of course the blond kept in mind that the brunet could over exaggerate. Not a lot of things had to happen, for it to grate on the other’s nerves. 

"You can easily come up with a conclusion of your own, when you have the papers of the Hogyoku in your possession." 

The blond had checked his laboratory before he was banned from entering it and one certain binder seemed to be obviously missing. The one who was responsible for that was glaringly obvious. 

"What do you mean? I do not have those papers." Aizen seemed genuinely confused. 

While the cameras were shut off around noon, and his laboratory was left in an organized state at the time, when the blond came back though, someone had definitely been looking for something. 

And since Aizen had volunteered so nicely to organize it a couple of days prior, there was no denying the culprit. 

"I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish by owning them. But I can say that all your efforts in exposing some hidden mechanism related to the cuffs will all be in vain. The orb is not going to fulfill your wish for freedom." 

"No really, Kisuke, I do not know what you are talking about. I do not have them." 

As virtuous as the other sounded, the coincidence of helping the unorganized state of his lab played to his disadvantage. 

"Don't act as if you don't know what I'm talking about. The way you tried to dismantle the tracking system in the cuffs, betrays that you have been snooping around again." 

"I'm not denying that fact. But I do not have the papers. Maybe, someone else had more incentive to get a hold of them. Soul Society had the attack planned out." 

Was Aizen playing the victim again? The other could come up with a lot of illusionary tricks to shove direct suspicions unto someone else. The brunet's lying never held conclusive patterns. Aizen's mind was a jumbled up mess, coming up with intricate ploys, just to get what he wanted. But always without order. The calm front was a way to hide the absolute chaos inside his head. 

Even if the brunet got what he wanted, he would never be content. It would never be enough. 

Why did Kisuke ever think he could fix Sousuke when the brunet didn't even acknowledge the fact that he was broken in the first place? It was sad, how did Aizen become this way? 

"And if I don't believe that, you'd come up with something else." 

The other raised a brow. "Believing me takes-" 

Kisuke cut in emphatically "You're so lost, Sousuke, you can't even see your goal anymore." 

The blunt way he said it almost made the other visibly recoil back, as if the words had finally made an impact. 

No defensive words or denial followed, even though that could be expected whenever Aizen didn't want to hear the truth. The genuine hurt crossing those normally perfected fake features didn't affect Kisuke. 

It's not like the blond had gotten used to Aizen's deception to the point where he didn't even bother to distinguish real from false. It was the absolute weariness of dealing with the other. 

"I never really understood what you meant by that; lost…" the brunet didn't look at him, but gazed pointed in between them somewhere, looking every bit the definition of the word he had repeatedly described Aizen as. "I thought you implied the void left by the absence of Kyouka Suigetsu," 

Sousuke looked at him, and Kisuke was about to elaborate but the other went on, "That's not what you insinuated. Now, I can attest to the saying; you don't know what you've got until its gone. I do need and want you, as hard as it is to admit," the clear vulnerability plaguing Sousuke's voice was without a doubt real. The blond swallowed to have his own sudden choked up feeling disappear. 

"In those last months I truly felt longing towards you. It stopped being an act then, I know that you had to have a lot of patience with me…" his voice quieted down to a whisper. "…but, don't give up on me now. I need you," the other’s slightly watery eyes connected with his gray ones. "to break me out of my own illusion." 

"You can't blame this on Kyouka Suigetsu." 

"I'm not. It has the same indication as you implied. I have become so lost by my own lies, Kisuke. That my senses faded to the point where I began to doubt myself." 

"You need help." 

"By you, I need you." 

The blond didn't know how to respond to that, fearing his own emotions would forgive Aizen in an instant for that sweet display. He decided to cut their time short, there were only a couple of minutes left anyway. 

The sorrowful glance and whispered "I understand." was the only other thing said, before he left. 

Yoruichi and Tessai immediately surrounded him, bombarding him with the same questions of concernment they had asked last time. 

"Oh I'm fine," Aizen's manipulation couldn't reach him anymore. "In fact, I know how to lure him in." 

Kisuke's vulnerability had gotten him trapped in Sousuke's web. Now, Sousuke's own vulnerability was going to trap him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please like and comment!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I would update Perceptive perceptions this week, but that chapter hasn’t been beta-d yet, so instead I decided to update Rehabilitate.

**Chapter eight**

Their third meeting had relatively booked the same results as the first two. Sousuke's confession had somehow mellowed down the other. Whether he was waiting on Kisuke to take him in or expect a confession back… 

The fourth time Sousuke was 10 minutes too late before arriving, again with the stroller. Kisuke was already seated in his usual place, about to tell the other how many minutes he had left, when he heard a gurgling sound. 

His head snapped immediately to the noise, seeing the brunet busying himself with something in the stroller. 

He felt a pleasant hum of strangely familiar reiatsu come in contact with his, as Sousuke took the baby out of the stroller. The blond sat up straighter, suddenly feeling nervous. Was the moment finally there? He had waited for this for so long, and now he almost didn't feel quite ready yet. 

But he didn't have time to think about that when the infant was placed in his arms. He supported the head carefully as the little one seemed so happy to see him, making contented noises and smiling up at him. 

The blond caressed the child's baby soft skin and was rewarded by the baby's fingers closing around his thumb. "He's beautiful, Sousuke," he whispered in appreciation. "At least there's something you did right." He didn't want it to sound as accusing as it did, but he was too preoccupied with the sight in his arms to pay attention to anything else. 

Not until the other’s "Wow, glad I could be of any assistance to you." 

When Sousuke moved back he had caught a hold of the other’s sleeve, keeping him close. He owed Aizen this much at least. 

The other lingered near him for a while before taking a blanket out of the stroller, reminding him to keep their pressure hidden. Kisuke let the other wrap their child in the reiatsu concealing blanket. Afterwards, the baby was handed back over to him. 

While he could stare at the picture of the twins Aizen had sent forever, nothing could compare to the feeling of actually holding them. His own reiatsu had embraced the little one instantly and unknowingly also the brunet. 

Sousuke tried to ignore the loving and warm feeling the other’s pressure gave off. It felt so nice, but the blond was doing it unconsciously again. Kisuke was just totally engulfed by the moment. 

"Daichi or Koichi?" 

"Koichi." 

Kisuke laughed quietly when Koichi let out a yawn. "He's impressed with all the attention he's getting." 

"Oh but he is used to attention. Kira can't leave them alone for a second." The third division's vice-captain seemed to be instantly alert when either of the twins made any noise. It made that envious feeling that had peeked its head at the birth of the twins rear up each time. 

Which was silly, because as a God he had no need for jealousy. He had the Hogyoku and that had been up until a year ago, as a prisoner of Muken, enough. But a bit later, as Kisuke's detainee, he learned that there were a lot more precious gifts in life than an object that fulfilled all wishes. 

And the Hogyoku had fulfilled his wish, involuntarily at the time. While his mind had been only consumed by taking over the Soul Palace with the help of the pregnancy, he had intuitively accomplished his goal. The twins were a major chapter in his life now. Like the Hogyoku, they were solely his and Kisuke's. And even the shopkeeper couldn't deny that. 

Despite Kisuke's initial resentment towards the pregnancy the blond had come around to that fact quickly. While holding the little one, there was not even the slightest hint of negative feeling. Kisuke was literally basking in the glory of being a father. 

Any doubts that still stayed in the back of that blond head, had definitely disappeared completely. The wide happy grin didn't falter, a glimpse of the vigorous shopkeeper he was familiar with. Before the other looked reluctantly at the clock, realizing his time was coming to an end. The gray eyes visibly turned into a dejected look. 

He promised Kisuke, he would return with one of the twins each time. If the blond believed it to be an empty promise or not, he still thanked him for the opportunity. 

-0- 

The next time Kisuke held Daichi in his arms. Daichi and Koichi weren't identical, and yet the blond found it hard to directly name a difference between them, given that he had only seen the other for about half an hour. Except the fact that Daichi indeed cried a lot in comparison to his twin. At this moment they were around ten weeks, so the blond figured any dissimilarities were still too early to tell. Most babies did look alike in the first few months. 

As for the effect the Hogyoku had on the child, although there was a distinct cognizance of the orb's powers in Daichi's pressure, it was still too early to make conclusions. 

Meeting the twins each time, there still remained that spontaneous intertwinement of the children's reiatsu with his. He had felt small tendrils of their pressure when Sousuke carried them, but they seemed to remember him all the same. It definitely had to do with instinct, though it still amazed the blond. 

Daichi's inspection of the blond's pressure had lasted exactly five minutes, while the child was clearly trying to place his familiar reiatsu, before the kid started to make a discontented noise and stated crying. 

Sousuke had suggested taking over, and started pacing the room, small whimpers coming from the infant in the brunet's arms. 'A normal occurrence' to Sousuke. 

"Have you tried a pacifier?" 

The brunet stopped in his tracks, while Daichi let out a small sound of protest to make it obvious he did not like that. "They get crooked teeth." 

"Only if it's done past the age of two." Leave it to Sousuke to have him worried about the twins' appearance. "It soothes infants, a miracle object really." The blond added helpfully. 

It did not however sooth Sousuke's worries. "I have researched about it in one of the baby books you bought. It is concluded that a pacifier is one of the primary origins to crooked teeth." 

And Aizen's research had always been without fault, take his version of the Hogyoku for instance… 

"Sousuke, if that's what you're anxious about, the human world has dentists." The blond pronounced. 

When Daichi's murmuring became a little louder, the brunet started pacing again and sighed "I will give it a try…but could you make sure first it's not the Hogyoku?" 

Aizen admitting he needed help did suit him well. 

The blond walked over to the other, stopping right in front of him. "Sure, but I would have noticed though. And even a quick check up is not going to cut it." 

Kisuke let his palm glow with pressure, hovering over what he precisely knew to be pressure points. Again, despite performing a thorough check up, he couldn't find anything distressing. He would get a better grip on the developing effects after months or better; years. "I doubt it's just the orb. Daichi should have been used to the presence of the parts of the Hogyoku by now. If the excessive crying was only prominent in the first few weeks of the child's birth; then yes. But right now, he could be just like you named it 'a crybaby'." 

Daichi appeared to be healthy, he gathered that from his sleeping and feeding patterns and the child's overall reactions. Guess it was just his temperament, something that could get better in age, or worse… 

Sousuke retorted with a sarcastic "He doesn't get that from me." 

Kisuke didn't answer the taunt. But if it was a foreshadowing of the child's future personality…well, let's just say Kisuke didn't have to think twice where Daichi derived that temper from. 

Yoruichi's sudden squeal had Kisuke's head turn around to be greeted by her and Tessai trying to get a look at the infant in Sousuke's arms. They both missed Koichi last time, especially with the infant's silence. Only being informed about the meeting after Sousuke left. 

The meet-ups had always been handled splendidly so they didn't feel the need to be overprotective of Kisuke anymore. Besides, consequently listening in on Kisuke's and Sousuke's conversations for exactly 30 minutes was 'boring'. As Yoruichi had said. Though, when they learned that Aizen had kept up his end of the bargain, they immediately wanted to catch a glimpse of the twins. 

Tessai kept his distance, still glaring in warning at Aizen. But Yoruichi had come over instantly. She coed at the little one while Aizen let out a definite irritating sigh. She didn't mind though. 

Kisuke chuckled as Daichi seemed perplexed by the sudden appearance of people he hadn't seen before. An almost sullen look took over the infant's features. "He's judging you." Said Sousuke in full assurance to Yoruichi's excitement. 

His friend ignored the brunet. "Babies are so cute! Seeing this makes me want one of my own." 

"You do realize you need a husband first?" said Kisuke, nudging her. She always seemed to skip that step. 

She nudged him back saying, "You two aren't married either." 

Kisuke and Sousuke looked at each other, their eyes meeting briefly, before averting their gazes quickly. 

Daichi still seemed intrigued by his friend's eager gestures, as Sousuke put his hand in between the infant's and Yoruichi's gaze, turning around with his back to her and snapped "You're beneath his notice, can't you see that? He does not even give you a cry of acknowledgment." 

Odd, but that appeared to be true. Daichi's protests weren't heard, the child had been surprisingly calm. 

-0- 

Meeting them both had removed a huge burden off Kisuke's shoulders. He had finally met them. But it always seemed to end too soon. Therefore they had agreed to meet up every Friday. And Sousuke would switch between Daichi and Koichi on who to bring along. Owning only one stroller and the danger of Soul Society was the brunet's excuse on bringing only one twin. 

Kisuke always looked forward to the meet-ups, the two infants clearly reacted each time when he saw them. Koichi even held out his tiny arms at seeing him. These were joyful moments where he got to know his children. 

And Aizen honoring their agreement made the blond's steady plan of getting Aizen into prison hesitate. He had been completely honest now for a couple of weeks. And each week the kids seemed to develop fast. From motoric skills where they could put some strength in their limbs, keeping their head upright and voluntarily sitting down. To outright appearance; their blond hair had darkened to a dirty blond, though Aizen hated the term and preferred tanned blond. They were nearing the beginning of their fifth month now and the extreme delay in mission 'capture Aizen' had the Seireitei becoming really impatient. 

The blond cherished these moments and wanted to draw out these picture perfect family moments as long as possible. So the Seireitei could wait. 

The fussy twin was given a pacifier and became considerably calmer. The stubbornness though still shined through. 

Right now, he had Koichi on his lap. A selection of toys was placed in front of the infant, he was trying to grab each one. Koichi babbled a lot, sure it was not up to the point where Kisuke could make anything sensible out of the noises, but the blond encouraged it by responding. And the little one seemed to process this, so the blond knew he was doing something right. 

As for Daichi…the kid seemed to refuse saying a word, or more like sound, since it was still technically gibberish, when you expected an answer. Especially when Sousuke took the kid's pacifier specifically to teach the little one to talk. That's when the stubbornness was extra accentuated, coupled with an almost glare to his 'mother'. 

When Aizen prepared Koichi's bottle, the little one's focus drifted to the familiar feeding habit. Reaching for the bottle when Sousuke sat right next to Kisuke. The toys clearly lost Koichi's interest. 

"I'd like to begin with solid food next time we meet." Said Sousuke as he was still waiting for the milk to cool down. The little one on Kisuke's lap tried with all his might to reach out for the bottle in Sousuke's hands, making frustrated noises. 

Though, Koichi's attention was easily diverted to something else. As demonstrated when Kisuke talked directly to the twin. "You hear that, Koichi? Sounds exciting, huh?" 

Being present at many 'firsts' was a must for any parent; the first steps, first words,…even something as simple as switching over to actual food seemed like a milestone to the blond. They grow so fast after all. And it was sweet of Sousuke to even take Kisuke's advice into consideration throughout that process. Despite Sousuke's selfish behavior, which if he had to be honest, had improved greatly. 

At first he had expected the brunet to handle babies as most aristocratic members; pass them off to the care of maids. And Aizen with all of his royal like attitude, definitely fitted that description. 

When Kisuke heard about Kira being a prominent visitor where the brunet was staying at, he thought that confirmed his suspicions. Until Sousuke's jealous outbursts. The brunet had told Kisuke everything that bothered him about his current predicament. Add Yoruichi to that and you get a lioness that would feel threatened by any bystander too close to its cubs. Aizen was seriously vicious. 

He had to applaud the other’s territorial or more like 'maternal' instinct. It was a nice change to that egotistical behavior. He knew he shouldn't encourage it, but it was just so encouraging. The normally so self consumed lord, actually cared for another being? 

He was really sweet and gentle when interacting with their twins, no deception present at all. 

"Do you think solid food is already an option? What is your opinion on it? They haven't begun teething yet." 

Koichi took the bottle, once cooled in both tiny hands, animatedly 'babbling' in between gulps. 

"According to the books; it's alright to begin between four and six months. Of course, only small portions in the beginning." 

An Aizen that relied on someone else's advice rather than his own? Kisuke really could get used to that side of the brunet. Not that Sousuke's confidence had decreased. That was obvious when others were involved. 

Yoruichi who was in complete awe of seeing baby animals or babies in general, rudely interrupted them in Sousuke's opinion. Aizen's fits were not far off then. 

She asked to hold Koichi while the little one was feeding. The question was directed at Kisuke while Sousuke answered "No, you're going to disrupt his feeding schedule," The blond raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the other’s explanation. "Besides, he does not like strangers." 

The confidence of the brunet was in full force at that point, as if that statement was a confirmation in the decision to hold the kid. Koichi decided at that moment to disprove that statement and discarded the bottle to hold his hands up to the Shihoin heiress; a sign to be carried. 

He could see in the brunet's eyes that Sousuke felt uncomfortable, when he handed over Koichi to his friend. He stopped Sousuke from stepping in to prevent the action. While the blond said that the possessive nature was adorable, jealousy didn't need to appear when it wasn't needed. Yoruichi was not a threat nor a stranger. 

Social interactions were very important in their development. Koichi expressed enough eagerness in social interactions while Daichi was a lot more withdrawn. And Sousuke involuntarily encouraged that behavior when he behaved so possessively over their children. 

Sousuke looked tense with Koichi in Yoruichi's arms so he put a comforting hand on the other’s forearm. The tension in Sousuke's shoulders visibly slackened. The blond gave a friendly wink at the other’s grimace. 

In the past few weeks the barriers that Kisuke had mentally set up between them were beginning to crumble. They sat so close now that their legs touched. He wasn't holding back on any restraints anymore, as long as their past wasn't brought up their conversations stayed simple and neutral. Sousuke hadn't made any forwarded advances to win him back. 

Kisuke had found it hard to keep up that almost false 'we're merely acquaintances so no touching on any topics that pertained to their past' act. To the blond it felt more natural when they behaved normally around each other. Even if that meant his feelings weren't behind tight locks anymore. 

But it was okay, since this is what he wanted to accomplish, right? To have Sousuke think that everything was alright and they could start over again. Because that's the moment he was waiting for; to catch the other by surprise. 

He had convinced himself that he could fool Sousuke, and fool himself by making himself believe that courting Sousuke now was a fake attempt before the finale. Only, Aizen was the illusionist here, not him. He couldn't fool himself. A couple of sweet natured words, a couple of friendly touches and all the negative emotions faded away to make room for the good ones. 

Aizen had even asked him for help, pleaded with him to get the brunet out of his own fantasies. If that wasn't an honest cry for help, than Aizen really was the master of manipulation. And that inconsistency gave away to still depend on his loyalties towards the Seireitei; it was for the greater good after all. 

But why did it feel as if he was contradicting himself? 

-0- 

"Could you bring both of the twins?" 

Sousuke looked at the blond who was giving Koichi little spoonfuls of mashed food. "30 minutes is hardly enough time for me to get the other twin, by the time I get back here I'd already need to take one home; I can't shunpo." 

Kisuke had offered to buy a twin stroller as a solution. But, traveling with both of them at the same time was not a good idea. The Seireitei's trackers weren't consistently patrolling the human world anymore, but Aizen's name was definitely still on their list of 'most wanted'. 

Koichi was excited enough being strolled around town, the fascination of the outside got the kid's attention each time. It was a lot harder with the other twin. Daichi had kicked off the concealing blankets in irritation on his way to Kisuke's yesterday. The sudden spikes of, what was no doubt, the second division's onmitsukido an immediate reaction. 

Without being able to feel those spikes of reiatsu it could have resulted in a dangerous situation, had Kisuke not intervened before their arrival. The meeting had to be called off because suddenly the trackers overwhelmed the neighborhood again. 

The pressures of the twins' weren't familiar to the Soul Society but the onmitsukido were asked to look out for reiatsu activities that weren't fully mature yet. It was ordered by the King, or so the Shihoin heiress had said. 

So he took Koichi today as extra precaution, the little one loved being in the buggy. 

"Yoruichi's going to lengthen my time as a reward for good behavior." 

It was funny to watch the reactions of their son to the new taste and texture of solid food in comparison to milk. The odd looks he had given in the beginning were almost confused pouts, as if the infant felt cheated. Once Koichi got used to it though, he couldn't get enough of the gooey stuff. 

It was a lot messier. Luckily, the bib kept his clothes from getting too dirty. Aizen tried hard to forget the mess Satsu had made, the infant he had to babysit once. 

"Good behavior?" 

"Yes Sousuke, for following the terms of agreement, not something you're accustomed to." 

He's glad that Kisuke talks to him again in a civilized way. He could see that the blond at least tries to keep any bitterness from seeping in his tone. Even though it still lacks the playfulness their bickering normally brought forth; it was a beginning. But to what though? 

Sousuke used to read through other people easily; find out what they want and use it against them. Manipulating the shopkeeper now somehow seemed harder to do. Was it because the Hogyoku had dulled the brunet's senses to a point where he couldn't center on someone else's wants, rather than his own? 

Or because he didn't want to manipulate Kisuke anymore? He wanted true honesty between him and the blond, but what about the Soul Palace? The shopkeeper would never agree to Sousuke taking over the spirit realm. Even if the blond was technically going against the Seireitei by secretly meeting up with him, Kisuke's loyalty wouldn't have changed. 

"Aren't you breaking the rules right now? You speak so negatively of secrecy and yet you yourself are lying to Central 46." Talk about hypocrisy… He wasn't trying to egg on the blond to start an argument, it was worded as a curious rhetorical question. 

The blond pointed the spoon at Sousuke while Koichi followed the direction the utensil took with his eyes intriguingly. "Ah, but that's the difference between you and me. When I say something dishonest, it's just an innocent white lie, I don't mean to hurt anyone by it." The blond didn't say anything further but the accompanied look said 'your lies only cause hurt'. 

"You're such an angel." Sousuke said sarcastically, redirecting the spoon to Koichi since the kid started to get agitated when Kisuke playfully teased the infant. The blond tolerantly let Sousuke encircle his hand around Kisuke's wrist. 

"You know, there are features in the twins that can easily be recognized in you." Said the shopkeeper, caressing Koichi's cheek with his other hand. The now happy again infant smiling brightly with a mouthful of mashed food. 

"I sure hope so, they are my children, too, Kisuke. Even if you want to deny that." 

"It's hard to deny when you carried them," was expressed jokingly. "What I mean is, Yoruichi and Tessai say the twins resemble me completely. It's like others are less likely to acknowledge it. But believe me when I say, I definitely acknowledge you. You're gorgeous Sousuke, why wouldn't I recognize you as a parent?" 

The brunet couldn't help the satisfied grin from appearing when hearing that praise. Being teased in his academy years made him actually very self conscious. It unfortunately was perceived as cockiness. "I see, so if I was not so good looking, you would not have recognized me?" his tone now was laced with mock hurt, to see what kind of reaction he would get. 

The blond seemed perplexed. "I did not mean it like that." 

Sousuke laughed mirthfully. "Mmh sure. You have got some explaining to do now." 

The other smiled back cheerfully and after feeding the infant another spoonful, said to Koichi "See what your mother puts me through." The playful shove the blond saw coming as an answer to that phrase was easily defended with "No violence in front of the kids." 

"You're lucky I agree on that." the slap that was stopped midway was replaced with a soft squeeze on the blond's arm. 

They watched Koichi enjoying his first solid food further, and the little one in the mean time basked in the attention he received from both parents. 

Sousuke promised the blond he would consider taking both twins to their meet-ups, but only if Kisuke got a lot more free time to spare. He was a little reluctant about bringing both, and not only because of his concern of the patrolling Shinigami. In all of Kisuke's frolic behavior, how honest was he? What if he was still secretly working hand in glove with the Seireitei? 

Then again, the blond wouldn't have a figurative timer going off each visit, if he was still working together with them. The Shinigami world stayed wary of the shopkeeper, Central 46 wouldn't listen to an offered deal made by an ex criminal. Even if that deal included Sousuke as a reward. 

But, taking both twins was worth a try, even if it sounded like the brunet was getting desperate for Kisuke's attention. He could still see the adoration in Kisuke's eyes, the blond couldn't go without him. Definitely not with the extra baggage they carried. If the shopkeeper had truly loved him for such a long time, it couldn't have vanished into downright nothingness. 

Kisuke had known what he was in for with him, not that it was an excuse to continue to lie to the blond, it didn't justify that at all. Sousuke knew he was just as much as fault as the blond, if not more. They just approached their relationship in an entirely wrong way. 

Reevaluating their early months together, it was safe to say that it had been nothing more than lust. It had been Sousuke's own point of view for the foundation of a stable connection. And he was sure that Kisuke felt the same way, even if the blond claimed to have loved him since their academy years. 

The brunet didn't understand how you could fall in love with a person you hadn't even properly met yet. But Kisuke had always been the more sentimental type. 

As they progressed in their relationship, or lie, whatever you want to call it; vengeance became a regular. Any disagreements, and there had been a lot, mostly ended in revenge. Yes, Sousuke admitted he started that trend, but Kisuke quickly caught on. They were mostly harmless, but the constant 'I get you back for that' was tiring. 

It was okay if it happened once, but it happened with every serious argument. The boomerang effect never stopped this way, and it didn't do their bond any good, it shattered their already nonexistent trust between them. 

When they began anew, Sousuke had to work on his tolerance for the blond. He never really had to learn how to be tolerant of someone else, never had to trust someone. Gin had been the closest he had been with and just look how that turned out. 

The hardest part for the brunet was to admit another was right; to say 'fine, I'll do it your way.' Kisuke had done that every time. He admired the blond for that easygoing nature, while Sousuke had never bothered asking Kisuke what he had wanted. 

And that's what he was going to try to improve, starting with taking both Daichi and Koichi to visit their dad, because that's what Kisuke wanted. 

-0- 

"You got permission for a weekend." Said Yoruichi the second she entered through the now not so secret entrance. 

"That's great." 

Kisuke had bargained for more than just some extra time. They were his children, he deserved more than those 30 minutes. He hadn't expected the Seireitei to be this lenient though. Did she explain the plan? 

"Don't get too excited, you'll only get one weekend." 

"What? Are you sure you included the details? Sousuke's not going to agree instantly, I need more than just two days." 

The brunet took a couple of meetings before finally presenting their twins. What would it take to convince Sousuke to stay over for a night? 

"I didn't include Aizen at all, if I did; someone else would have surely been assigned as your supervisor outside of the house. I convinced them it's just for leisure time." 

Kisuke sighed, fanning himself. He had initially opted for half an hour extra or two hours meet-ups. But he decided that if this really was their last time together, he would want it to be a moment worth remembering, before he passed Aizen to Central 46. 

And he still had doubts about the plan. 

"Right." He closed the fan dejectedly. 

She looked at him with that pitying look. "Kisuke, I can see that this is not what you want. Is this the only approach?" 

Of course Yoruichi would know the truth behind his veiled cover up, but what else was there to try? The Seireitei's leniency towards Kisuke's delay regarding anything Aizen would only stretch that far. 

Explaining the plan for capturing Aizen would have worked to their advantage, but she was right as it would have also resulted in Soul Society's interference. Which would have irrevocably resulted in a failure. 

And as long as Kisuke didn't have their twins safely by his side, he would not risk Aizen becoming suspicious about anything. Sousuke wasn't really patient or merciful when it didn't concern himself, a second mistake could very well end in Aizen withholding the twins from him forever. 

"What do you suggest as an alternative? Desert Soul Society and flee with Aizen together?" his own suggestion sounded very appealing. But that would mean he had to leave everything behind. 

He looked through the opened screen door at his shop, not looking back at Yoruichi when she addressed him, "Kisuke, that is something you have to decide for yourself. I'll support you in any decision." 

Besides, shoving everything aside for someone like Aizen was downright reckless, the brunet couldn't be trusted. "It's a ridiculous suggestion." He whispered to no one in particular, gaze still focused on his closed up shop. 

-0- 

"You actually managed to persuade Soul Society?" 

Phone calls of the blond became a regular, if only so the shopkeeper had an excuse to listen to the twins. Not that the little ones fully understood the concept of talking into a mobile device. 

Sousuke chuckled when the blond went on to remind him that Kisuke did not participate in any persuasion at all. 

Their conversations over the phone even went smoothly now, no abrasiveness that indicated someone listening in on them. 

"That moment when your noble title can be used as an excuse…" said Sousuke sardonically. 

"You can say what you want about Yoruichi, but she's always there for me." 

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Mmh." 

"Can you put one of the twins on the phone?" 

"What's the point? They don't understand you." He said, clearly letting the smirk that appeared on his face lace his tone. And sure enough, Kisuke instantly reacted by telling the brunet why he should let him do that. 

He wasn't planning on refusing the other’s request, just wanted to hear Kisuke's objections. In the midst of the blond's explanation he held the phone to Koichi's ear. The little one recognized the voice immediately, excited gibberish was the kid's response. 

The chatter on the other line stopped, and Sousuke heard the blond change his tone to speak to the twin. 

Daichi however, didn't agree with the lack of attention he got and the brunet switched the phone to the other twin fast, when Daichi rejected the pacifier. Just in time to prevent the siren from going off. It did not change the surly expression on the infant though. The little one just got plain confused over the object that sprouted his parent's voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget to check out my two new Mpreg stories.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"He's such a cutie." Said Ururu while carrying Koichi. 

Aizen was on his way to get the other twin, the brunet had hesitated quite a bit before leaving Koichi with Kisuke. Apprehensively coming up with all sorts of excuses so as to not leave the little one alone. 

Especially with everyone surrounding their child. 

Tessai would take the teens to a water park for the weekend, but Jinta and Ururu would not leave before having seen one of the twins. 

"He's already breaking a lot of girl hearts." Said Jinta amusedly when Yoruichi and Ururu wouldn't stop cooing over the little one. 

Koichi just seemed to seep in the attention, shyly biting his baby blanket, which he clutched in one fist, at first. But after the initial impressions, excitedly chattering to anyone. 

"Oh wait a second with that, he's still a baby." Responded Kisuke to a laughing Jinta. 

Teenage years were far off, the blond wanted to enjoy their current life stage as long as possible. They were still somewhat amenable at this age. 

"You're going to have to watch out already, since there are some who would kidnap the kid instantly." Was Tessai's response while he nodded at the two females whom were pretending to put the infant in one of the suitcases. 

"We'll see how far you get when I unleash Aizen." Ururu pouted at Kisuke's joke and handed over Koichi again. 

"You'll see more of the twins when Aizen gets captured Sunday." Reassured Tessai, taking the suitcases to load them in the trunk. 

Kisuke grimaced. He was beginning to doubt the decision more and more. It just didn't feel right, it's like he was intending to rip Aizen's contact with the children away entirely. It went against Kisuke's morals of a child needing both parents around. 

The blond waved a goodbye with Koichi on his hip as Tessai drove off. Ururu was almost pressed against the window, as Kisuke encouraged the little one to give a wave. But Koichi had proceeded to take up more interest in his blanket again. Apparently done with the attention. Not giving Tessai nor the teens any acknowledging look anymore. 

Kisuke chuckled and went back inside, looking questionably at Yoruichi's gaze that was pointed at him. "I saw the reaction you gave out after Tessai mentioned the capture." 

"I know…" 

"If you have uncertainties of going through with it, you need to inform me before I give my permission to the Onmitsukido." 

Kisuke shook his head. "I will go through with it. I'm just worried about the twins, I don't want to take away their right to see their carrier." The blond's gaze turned to the infant in his arms, whom wasn't aware of the daunting sentence that hung over his carrier's head. "He's not to be sent to the Maggot's Nest. I don't want the kids running around in that filthy environment." He relayed to his friend. 

And not solely for the kids' best interest, he also didn't want Mayuri's hands on Sousuke. No doubt the crazy scientist was rubbing his palms in glee already at the chance to research Aizen and the Hogyoku. 

No way was he going to let that happen. 

"Kyouraku's going to do everything in his power to prevent that from happening." 

As a Captain Commander, Shunsui had a lot more to say, but were the members of Central 46 going to obey the request easily? Or more like was the Soul King still going to show any mercy regarding Aizen? 

He knew Central 46 couldn't be trusted, Sousuke didn't need to warn him on that. 

"Anyway, I'm going to leave." Said Yoruichi. "Before your watchdog comes back." She commented to Koichi, giving the little one's cheek a soft squeeze. As Koichi gave a toothless grin in answer. "You have my number if there's a change of plans." She added quietly while passing Kisuke. 

He watched her disappear, and while he appreciated the fact that she didn't pry into his personal life, the subtle inclination towards fleeing with Aizen was definitely noted. She wouldn't object to any of his decisions. Other people wouldn't be as accepting as her though. Repercussions would certainly follow if he chose to side with Sousuke, not to mention the backlash of supposedly being brainwashed again. 

A happy cry out from Koichi in his hands obtruded into his doubts. He was met by Sousuke arriving with Daichi in the stroller. Daichi rejected the pacifier upon seeing his twin, the blond was sure the siren—as he and Sousuke liked to call it—would go off again. But the twins instantly started 'babbling' to each other. Which was basically a mish mash of sounds. 

"They do that all the time, it's like they devised up a secret language." Scrutinized Sousuke, intently watching the kids' conversation as if to decipher it. 

Kisuke nodded. "It's actually very common with twins." It was intriguing to watch, but Sousuke didn't seem as pleased with it. 

"It concerns me, will it not get in the way of their linguistic development?" 

Infants babbled gibberish to each other all the time, the blond didn't see the problem here. "Oh come on, Sousuke. It's actually encouraging them." 

"Yes, encouraging a speech I cannot understand." 

Urahara chuckled. "They're 22 weeks old Sousuke, it will take some time. They're not going to talk in a fortnight." The brunet's high expectations started early already, did he expect super babies? "You do talk to them like I told you to do, right?" 

Sousuke took Daichi out of the buggy, sitting down on the couch on the other side of Kisuke, putting Daichi in between them as Koichi reached for his twin. "Of course, it's just…they do not understand a single word." 

"That's where you're wrong. They process what you say, depicted by the tone of your voice." 

The twins' abilities differed a lot in terms of development. Daichi seemed to develop faster in speech patterns than motor skills, as opposed to Koichi. It seemed like infants either developed their social skills first or their physical abilities, not both. "Are you sure about that?" asked the brunet. 

"Positive. Should have read the baby books," The blond suggested. "Of course every child is different, it stays a generalization. But you definitely don't need to worry." He alleviated the other’s anxieties. 

Koichi started to stir up some noise at not being able to reach his brother. Kisuke held the kid around the middle while the little one stood up on wobbly legs, poking and prodding his laughing twin. Koichi was the sturdier one of the two, while Daichi generally refused to stretch his legs in an attempt to make him stand up. 

Their playtime was cut short when Daichi's face scrunched up in a tell tale sign of moodiness, the crying followed not long after. 

"Come here you little noise maker." The blond took both of them in his lap, only to hand over Koichi to Sousuke when he kept bothering his brother. 

"They cannot miss each other, but they can't stand each other for too long either." 

"And it only gets worse with age." Kisuke agreed to a smiling Sousuke while Koichi kicked his arms and legs about at being separated from his twin. Sousuke tried to shush Koichi's protests until he found the reason for the little one's misery. 

"Is that why you handed him over to me, mh?" called out the brunet from the guest room, busy with a diaper change. 

Kisuke laughed. "No, but I'm glad I did." He looked at Daichi who's big eyes were watching him. "You're not making the same package, are you?" Kisuke questioned quickly as the little one kept watching him. Even tickling the infant's stomach didn't deter his stare. This twin was definitely the observant one of the two. 

"It's like he's staring into your soul." Remarked Sousuke after changing Koichi. Daichi's gaze turned to his brother instead, sharing cooing noises with each other. 

"You could say that." 

"Why is there a futon in the guestroom? Are you sleeping over?" 

He nodded. "Yeah, I got a whole weekend to spare and wanted to be able to spend that with our kids." 

"Oh…well, I could certainly come over tomorrow and the day after with the twins." 

"You don't have to do all of that, just stay over as well, there's room enough." The blond suggested, subtly putting a hand on the brunet's knee. 

Sousuke's eyes swept over towards his appendage, before his eyes connected with Kisuke's again. "I don't know if that is such a good idea. Won't Tessai make a problem out of it?" 

"He's away with the teens for the weekend, it would be just us." He encouraged lightly. 

"I do not have enough formula or diapers-" 

"All is taken care of, I have some goods lying around." The blond cut in. 

The brunet raised a brow. "How coincidental…" 

The blond grinned. "I'm always prepared." 

The other still seemed quite reluctant but agreed after a little persuasion. The fact that Kisuke rarely saw the kids was a strong argument, and the fact that Aizen would reside here in the house with them, he would be nearby. 

Koichi reached for the necklace around Sousuke's neck, trying to put the little butterfly bell in his mouth. Sousuke steered the little one's attention away after grabbing the chime from Koichi. The brunet even turned the kid around, so his back faced Sousuke. But the infant persistently tried to turn around again, squirming in Aizen's hands. "He's trying to put everything in his mouth lately. Ever since I switched to solid food." 

Kisuke chuckled and drew Koichi's attention to him with a chew toy. Koichi's squirming immediately stopped to take the toy from him. "Maybe he's hungry." He suggested. 

Sousuke shook his head. "It is not feeding time yet. They'll get formula in a bit, right before their afternoon nap." 

The chewing toy seemed to do the trick, attention solely focused on the specially designed baby toy, that was basically being completely slobbered with baby drool. 

"You're still wearing it." The blond told Sousuke, nodding towards the bell. "It's normally only worn during pregnancy." 

Sousuke nodded, briefly touching the necklace himself. "I love the symbolization." 

"Pregnancy?" questioned Kisuke confusedly. 

"No, not that. The butterfly, it represents freedom." 

He kept looking curiously at Sousuke. 

"In my eyes at least." The brunet added quietly. 

Freedom? 

That a butterfly held more meaning than just communication devices or a regular insect was basically a given. The reason Sousuke chose such a form as final transformation should have been a big enough hint. It was evoked by the Hogyoku which granted one's wishes. The symbolization must therefore run quite deep. 

But freedom? 

Was Sousuke that affected by the seals? No if it already held meaning before his lockdown, it must be a sensitive subject from Sousuke's past. 

It did give the blond some chills, since whatever freedom Sousuke had now, was going to be even more limited by the end of the weekend. 

Sousuke stood up suddenly, putting Koichi next to Kisuke on the couch. 

"I'm going to prepare their bottle before he nods off completely." 

Kisuke looked down at Daichi in his arms, it was instantly clear why the little one had been so quiet, he was falling asleep. 

-0- 

"You're swaddling them?" Kisuke asked when he saw Sousuke swaddling the kids in their blanket. 

"Is that a problem?" he questioned the blond in the midst of securing one of their twins. 

"Not really, but you're so concerned about their abilities, yet at the same time you're constricting their mobility. At this age they're very curious. Eventually they'll learn to turn over on their stomach on their own, if you don't limit their abilities that is." 

"Trust me, with Daichi it's best to have him tucked in." he retorted to the blond. Long naps wouldn't be fully slept through by the loud twin if he wasn't as snug as a bug. He learned this little piece of information from Kira actually, who in turn got it from babysitting some cousins. 

If there was little to distract himself with, Daichi would succumb to his sleep faster. The technique wasn't as used often anymore in the modern world, but it sure helped with their little noise maker. "Another reason I tend to swaddle them is for safety reasons, they can't easily struggle out of their security blanket this way." 

The blond smiled in an understanding way and carried one of the twins to the cribs in the guestroom. A foldable baby bed, sufficient for traveling, was installed in the room. 

They both watched their children drift off while standing at the end of the crib. 

"I can watch them for hours." 

"I know what you mean." Said the blond next to him. 

Still, he felt Kisuke's gaze on him and not on their twins. "Ah? Then why are you watching me instead?" 

He had expected the blond to come up with an excuse, not a fully honest "I'm watching the origin of our kids." 

"Origin? Like I'm some machine…" 

"A baby machine." The blond joked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kisuke's gaze return to their kids. "No really, you created a miracle, Sousuke." 

The blond seemed to be very open about his emotions today and less distant. "No, you did. You created the Hogyoku." It was the truth, full credit went to Kisuke. There was no way to steal that spotlight, he long since didn't care about the honor of the orb anymore. It was what the orb brought forth that was important; their future. 

"If I'm not mistaken, someone tried a similar invention long before I did." Kisuke scooted closer to him after his comment, carefully tracing the spot where the Hogyoku housed underneath Sousuke's clothes. 

Even though the gentle contact was expected, he still jerked back slightly as the orb pulsed at that familiar touch. "My orb was nothing compared to yours. It did not even have the same intended purpose. I could have never accomplished your level either." 

Kisuke looked into his eyes after the brunet's confession. The praise had put a warm smile on the blond's face. "Still, you combined our orbs together." 

Sousuke suppressed a shiver when Urahara's tracing fingertips turned firmer. He put a hand over the other’s palm, stilling his caressing. 

"Also a symbolization?" gray eyes were still focused on him. 

"No, but that would have been a nice reason. It had other purposes…" 

"Power." Said Kisuke. There was no accusation behind the blond's declaration. "I know what goes on in that head of yours." 

Kisuke urged Sousuke out of the room. Koichi seemed more interested in gaining their attention than a quick nap. The little one's eyes opened now and then, and cooing noises interrupted their conversation. It was not the quiet whispers that kept the twin awake. The twins already had a decent grasp at sensing familiar reiatsu. And the feeling of Kisuke and Sousuke being near kept him up. 

They couldn't exactly feel their carrier's pressure, but the brunet's presence was somehow noted by the little ones. Spending nine months inside an artificial womb had bonded the two to Sousuke. So Koichi kept making hopeful noises in order to be taken out of the crib. 

Maybe Kisuke was greedy in wanting to spend those last moments with Sousuke alone. But it wasn't his intention to withhold Sousuke's own last moments with the twins. Those dreadful words…they had too much of a negative connotation. This was just the brunet's last weekend as a free man. The rest would remain the same… Even that encouragement didn't lighten the sentence in the blond's head. 

They kept the door to the twin's room ajar so any disturbance could be heard by either Sousuke or him immediately. 

Standing in the kitchen alone with Sousuke, after sterilizing the baby bottles, a silence had settled between them. As if they both realized they were just by themselves. The pressure of knowing this and trying to keep the atmosphere tension free made the blond nervous. While there were so many subjects they could start talking about, one had been obviously avoided for quite some time; their past. 

It's a topic they were both eagerly anticipating, yet at the same time afraid to bring up. What was the best way to approach their past relationship? He had been so intimate with the other, then why was it so difficult? 

He felt giddy and nervous like it was a first date. It was the tense feeling of approaching that part of their past on a positive note. Because there were a lot of things that could be said that would lead to opening that can of worms, they both didn't exactly need right now. Those reproaches were best kept silent. 

Blaming the other was far from his mind right now. 

Stealing furtive glances at one another, too anxious to take the first step must have been one of the first times he had actually seen Sousuke emit a lack of confidence. 

Deciding to take the first step and end the stifling tension had apparently been on Sousuke's mind too. Resulting in awkwardly speaking up at exactly the same time. The blond chuckled and motioned to the brunet to say his thoughts first. 

He should have known that Sousuke would refuse and would demand that Kisuke started talking. 

The blond wanted to address the issue of what exactly defined their relationship now. He had never uttered the words of a break up —at least not directly to Sousuke. Firmly locking out the possibility of Sousuke ending up in prison, —for the time being—these matters needed to be settled first. He needed to know if there was still a chance for them. 

Sousuke's honest confession on being completely clueless on his emotions didn't mean that Aizen lacked any feelings for him. A fake romance act —even as splendidly done as Sousuke's —could not leave someone cold. The brunet must feel something, or he wouldn't try so hard to regain Kisuke's approval. 

Kisuke could leave his own emotions out of the question, yes he still loved Sousuke. Beneath the layers of anger and hurt, the brunet would always have that special place in his heart. Is all forgiven? No. Until he finds out whomever is behind the revelation of the Hogyoku's true intent and thieving of its papers, the brunet would be held accountable for that matter. 

Honest innocence or not, Aizen's repeated lies evoked skepticism automatically. 

He decided the best approach would be questioning Sousuke's thoughts on how he saw their future, regarding them, and their kids. But looking Aizen resolutely in the eye and become confronted by the other’s curious gaze, had his mind go blank. 

The silence bore down in the room, almost dominantly taking over their awkward atmosphere, and it had Kisuke blatantly pointing out "It's so quiet, should I put on some music?" 

The brunet's brows furrowed, making it clear that he was aware that Kisuke had not been about to say that. "We'll wake up the children." 

Remarking he would put it on a low, just to camouflage the silence and break the tension, he turned on the radio. Browsing through the different stations he coincidentally stopped at a song they both knew well. The dance that had warmed up the brunet in his arms months ago, had them both unwinding in an instant. 

Sometimes words were just not necessary. The lively emotions of a happy memory evident in the other’s eyes. And seeing as the blond's speech failed at the moment, he held out a hand to the brunet. To finally being able to hold Sousuke in his arms again, or the way Sousuke fitted perfectly into his arms was worth a thousand words. Just by being able to hold him, the tension simply evaporated. 

The proximity brought about the longing for one another. A deep stare into each other’s eyes and their lips connected of their own accord. It wasn't lustful or needy, it was a sweet kiss that translated their current emotions. The affection they held for each other hadn't faded at all. On the contrary, the act of trying to keep their distance had only strengthened those feelings. 

The need to breathe eventually ended their lip lock. He gave the brunet's middle a tight squeeze, as Sousuke's head came to rest on his shoulder. 

To have the other in his hold was enough right now, to not have to think about what Sunday would bring. Because each other’s company is all what they needed. Even as they swayed lightly to the music in the background they weren't really focused on a particular rhythm or dance. 

He was able to feel Sousuke's heartbeat, and placed his palm right on top of the spot, fascinatingly preoccupied by the steady drum that seemed to beat just a little faster. Kisuke became so distracted by the simple notion of the brunet having a heart, like it gave the other suddenly qualities reminiscent of a normal soul, which he never really concentrated on before. 

Aizen was capable of love but had been hurt in such a way that it had broken the organ, and made the brunet armor himself to prevent future heartbreak. It was wrong to be judgmental in the same way as Soul Society. He would be the same as the members of Central 46 if he didn't give Aizen the chance to be able to develop and blossom those once foreign feelings. He shouldn't beat the other down when he finally showed sincere emotions. 

Trying to gain self righteousness out of the fact that he could entrap Sousuke solely through Aizen’s vulnerability would be nothing more than pure revenge. And after the triumph, the guilt would resurface. 

If Sousuke needed to learn how to let go of the past, then Kisuke needed to follow his own advice. 

He tightened his hold when the one in his arms tried to remove himself from Kisuke's grasp. He became suddenly aware of the cries coming from the guest room; the twins were awake. 

"Such a possessive hold, Kisuke. One would think, you have not seen me for years. But, our children need me too." 

Caught at being completely enraptured by the other’s presence, made the blond a little embarrassed. Sousuke was practically delighted at the not so subtle gesture of readjusting his hat in order to look busy with something else. 

He followed the other soon into the guest room, after he was sure the burn in his cheeks subsided. 

Koichi had been able to unbundle himself from the swaddle — fighting the secured blankets seemed like a good past time until his brother woke up and called their parents. The toothless grin he gave when they entered the room was almost a sign of victory. 

Koichi was handed over to him after a quick diaper check, while Sousuke was busy with Daichi. The little ones motions were energetic after his limbs had been secured by the swaddling technique. As if he had to make good on lost mobility. 

"He wants to move around." The brunet told him. The kicking, squirming and a hand pointed at the floor suddenly made a lot of sense. Kisuke sat himself down on the futon, steadying Koichi with his hands around the kid's middle as the little one stood up, gazing around the room. 

Balancing on unsteady legs with the help of Kisuke, the adventurous twin tried a couple of steps. Step one was alright but as soon as a second followed the wobbly legs gave out, not that it stopped Koichi's determination there. Noises that probably came from the kid's imagination came out smoothly. "I know." Said Kisuke happily to Koichi's excited chatter. "Mommy is not paying attention…" 

Sousuke didn't glance back at them, but did respond with a warned "Kisuke…" 

When Daichi was all ready, the brunet joined them on the futon. Daichi made no effort in following his brother's example. Sousuke tried to balance the kid, but it only resulted in the stubborn twin promptly sitting down. He was just content with being seated on Sousuke's lap. 

This gave his brother ample time in stealing the spotlight, demanding their attention with loud exclamations of happiness and stumbling around in Kisuke's hold. 

"Koichi," the aforementioned twin stopped mid-track, listening to Sousuke. "Where is daddy?" 

Kisuke held his breath, eagerly anticipating if the kids could comprehend the meaning of the word. 

Koichi laughed and waved his hands around, but nowhere near in Kisuke's general direction. When Sousuke repeated the sentence by articulating every word, Daichi pointed definitely in the blond's direction. 

Kisuke praised the kid cheerfully, it gave him a warm fuzzy feeling in being able to be recognized by them like this. Sousuke took it up a notch, naturally, and repeated the word in a clear way to the kid in an attempt to have the little one try to say the word after him. Even going as far as taking his pacifier. 

"Where is mommy?" questioned Kisuke as a distraction, but Daichi refused to comply after his pacifier had been taken. While Koichi's answer was a repeat of Sousuke's question. 

"That is right." Sousuke quickly picked in. "There is no mommy." That is probably one of the first things that the brunet was going to try to hammer into the kids… 

The demonstration of words was abruptly cut off by Daichi's complains. Sousuke refused to give back his pacifier, and the child simply crossed sides; holding his hands out to Kisuke. Murmuring little whines of protest, specifically looking at him, as if Urahara would surely give back the pacifier. 

"Oh come on Sousuke, it won't hurt him." 

The brunet gave him a disbelieving look and showed the comforting object that had clear signs of it being bitten down on, no teeth marks yet, since the kids obviously still lacked those. 

But maybe Daichi was early and had started teething already. Their gums would be irritated and the need to bite down in order to sooth the ache was a natural reaction. 

"I do not want his mouth festered with bacteria." 

"That doesn't discourage the fact that you need to do it slowly, and not withhold his comfort from one second upon the next." 

Okay, maybe it was obvious that he gave in sooner than Sousuke, and no doubt the children will learn this completely and take full advantage of it. But it was just so disheartening to listen to their cries. 

Kisuke held out his hand for the object, but Sousuke stubbornly denied it to the little one. 

Daichi's complains got louder so Kisuke took the kid out of Sousuke's arms, soothingly promising the child he would get it back later while Sousuke said "I do not think so." 

The sad twin got help from his sibling soon after, Koichi gave his precious blanket to alleviate some of the distress. 

When Kisuke generated the protective force field around Tessai's house, the two kids didn't need the blankets to cover up their reiatsu anymore. They could freely move around without it covering them like a robe. As they got older, the ability to move had Kisuke and Sousuke look for other means to utilize the shield. When they will be able to crawl on their own or walk, the protective shield will have to be modified into a cape. 

The newness already wore off now, and they were only five and a half months. They didn't like having to wear the material constantly. Koichi however, still liked it as a comforter, hauling it around practically everywhere he went; always clutched into a fist. Even if he didn't need it here at Tessai's. 

So giving it to his brother for solace was very nice of the little one. Daichi calmed down easily, signifying that he just needed something to distract himself with, and it wasn't just solely the necessity of the pacifier. 

"That's really nice of you, can Daichi keep your blanky?" Kisuke asked encouragingly, that kindness was worth instilling, and would be fruitful to further compassionate acts. The little one didn't need to understand it yet, just by the tone of his voice the kid could at least comprehend the basic of doing something wrong or good. 

But that was apparently too much, Koichi snatched back his blanket when Daichi attempted to make a grab at it. Daichi thankfully didn't take offense to that, and simply switched to putting his thumb in his mouth as a sufficient substitute to the pacifier. 

As Sousuke shook his head disapprovingly, Kisuke told him "Let him. He won't do it forever." 

Disagreements revolving around the raising of their kids will definitely be one of the disputes that could not be avoided, most parents faced that difficulty. They had different views, so of course they would disagree, but nothing a compromise couldn't solve. 

"How about only giving the pacifier when he goes to sleep or when he's in distress? You would be reducing the necessity, albeit not drastically." 

"I think I can agree on that." said the brunet, while Koichi toppled over in the small space of crossing over to Sousuke. The unsteady ground of the mattress was a true obstacle for them. "It is easy to keep track of them now. From the moment they learn to walk we will have to constantly monitor them." 

"I can still keep track of them through Benihime." 

Sousuke seemed surprised at the disposition, as a part of the blond's soul, she involuntarily also bonded to the kids. "You don't think Kyouka Suigetsu would have done the same?" 

It happened naturally, a Shinigami's offspring would receive the protection of the wielder's zanpakuto, even with the least nurturing of swords. 

"No, he would not." 

He looked at Sousuke. "You might not be able to feel it, since he's locked up." 

"He is not a normal zanpakuto, Kisuke." 

He wondered if it was wise to ask the other to elaborate when Sousuke didn't seem particularly keen on doing that. And that pause was all the brunet needed. Without explicitly pushing Sousuke, he would eventually reveal bits and pieces. The less personal questions he asked Sousuke, the more he revealed of himself. 

"Kyouka Suigetsu was not received through an Asauchi. He is an hereditary sword." 

That was some news, such zanpakuto were extremely exceptional. The most known would have to be Nanao Ise's. He would have never thought that Kyouka Suigetsu would fall under that category. 

"Did you inherit it from your father?" the brunet shook his head. "Mother?" 

"She was just a regular soul, not a Shinigami." 

Since Aizen's answers stayed rather vague, it was obvious that was the only thing he was allowed to know. 

"I did not exactly inherit it, so to speak." 

It sounded odd, and he was tempted to ask more, but he knew that being pushy would result in Aizen closing up. 

A less straight forwarded question then, "And if you could, would you give your zanpakuto to one of our kids?" he was curious about whatever answer he would receive. 

"No," perhaps Sousuke did become fully aware of the dangers of the illusionary sword. "I cannot do that. Kyouka Suigetsu chooses its wielder voluntarily, I have no say in that. But the ones that can be considered have to be blood bound, and that wielder will be the only one where its loyalty resides." 

Since Kyouka Suigetsu wasn't exactly soul bound to Sousuke, the fact that Aizen never really showed any outward loss about his zanpakuto's presence, was made clear throughout this little informative revelation. 

"It really means a lot to me that you would tell me something like that." he told Sousuke with a grateful smile. Private information of one's zanpakuto could be pernicious when heard by the wrong ears. Information that Soul Society would surely pay for. 

If Sousuke showed that much of himself, willing to make himself completely vulnerable in order to gain his trust promised a positive influence in the brunet. Because a relationship means complete trust, it is normal that he wanted to learn everything about the other. 

Mutual faith in each other is exactly what they missed last time. 

-0- 

Their first night, they were kept awake, much like their last night together. 

Urahara reflected constantly on his dilemma on what to do with Sousuke. The brunet turned in his arms, facing him. "You're still awake?" he questioned Sousuke. 

"I can practically hear you thinking." The brunet mused quietly. 

"I guess that's the burden of being a genius." The whispered joke made the other chuckle out, Kisuke could feel the reverberating sound underneath his palm that rested on Sousuke's side. Before Aizen shifted so his hands lay crossed over Kisuke's chest, with his chin placed on top of them. 

"Tell me what is bothering you." 

"There's no-" 

"Oh no, you are not giving me that excuse. I am revealing parts of my soul to save our relationship, then you better be putting in the same efforts as me." 

It was exactly spot on. Saving their relationship, while Soul Society was literally on their heels, seeking to destroy that chance. 

Or, he took the chance of pursuing a real relationship with the other, or he risked losing the chance by handing over Sousuke to the Seireitei. 

"When did your hate for me turn into caring for me?" he had to be careful how to word that around Sousuke, using the four letter word blatantly is something that scared Aizen off. 

The brunet looked in confusion at him. "I never hated you." 

"You did. You said you detested me when I activated the seals to lock down your pressure, do you remember that?" 

Now Sousuke understood what the other was talking about, was it bothering Kisuke all this time? "It was never really hate, I envied you, that is probably the only negative emotion I felt clearly towards you. The exclamation was shouted whilst I was angry." 

Something that Kisuke was no stranger to, the blond had spewed out hateful remarks about the pregnancy also. And that subject wasn't entirely cleared up yet. Although, mentioning when exactly he had conceived and under what circumstances might be better left under the rug. Urahara did seem to want to mend them. It was better left silent, especially now that Kisuke seemed to be troubled over something. 

It somehow felt like this was the only chance they would get at establishing anything between them… 

"Then when did those false feelings of love turn into genuinely feeling something for me?" 

He chuckled and the blond raised a brow. "You will not believe this, but when I had a little chat with Grimmjow about the meaning of love, I was somehow made aware of the true definition of that emotion." 

"By Grimmjow?" Kisuke voiced flabbergasted. 

"That must sound odd." 

"It's more of a surprise, I'm actually glad you can see him as some form of support." 

The brunet contorted his facial features into disagreement at the slightest nuance of being perceived as dependant on someone. "Well, I would not really call him a necessity…you disagree?" during his sentence Kisuke gave him that look. 

"You don't need to admit to needing anyone, just accept the help. No man is an island, Sousuke." 

He didn't negate the other’s statement further, silently accepting while continuing down the road of emotions. "It is exactly by being made aware of my lack of genuine emotions by you, that Grimmjow's definition on the word made such an impact on me." 

The blond's brooding look returned. "I said a lot of awful things to you." 

"The truth is always harsh. But now I see the necessity of being honest. I want to be honest with you in return from now on, no more lies." Kisuke's brooding look didn't instantly disappear. "I should have warned you about the guards that were coming for me, I should have been open about my emotions from the beginning and I-" the expressive utterances were abruptly cut off when the blond pulled him in for a kiss. 

When the frenzied connection finally broke off, the blond said with as much fervor "And I should have never given up on you." 

He was given another deep kiss, before he was enveloped in a strong embrace, both falling asleep in each other’s arms when the fretting thoughts calmed considerably. 

Their night time talk had truly eased their connection and communication. Saturday was almost spent like new lovers, giving quick kisses of affection, holding hands during playtime with the kids, to still innocent gropes when the children were distracted enough. 

It's like they found each other again, and this time started on the same page. 

The day therefore passed in a daze. As the dreaded end of the weekend neared, Kisuke tried to keep those unsettled thoughts at the back of his mind, making sure Sousuke couldn't notice his anxieties. 

Into the early hours of Sunday he sneaked out of the entangled limbs that consisted of him and the brunet, careful to be silent so he didn't wake the other or the twins. And called Yoruichi to abandon the mission. 

He had made his decision of taking a step with the brunet into the unknown, and break his ties with the Seireitei permanently. As risky as it was going to get, it felt like he was making the right choice. 

He couldn't instantly run away though, some things needed to be taken care of first and some research needed to be done. Where was the safest place to go with the least amount of Reishi so it deterred the attraction of souls. He also needed to sell his shop— with much pain in the heart— in order to be financially secure in the race of running away from Soul Society. Formal matters in other words. And of course discuss with Yoruichi how the defection was best planned out. 

He saw the door of the guest room opening as the brunet looked expectantly at him. "Kisuke, it is four o'clock." He muttered sleepily. 

"I know." He answered back, unashamedly gazing at the opening in the brunet's kimono. He motioned Sousuke over, feeling like celebrating his decision with an intimate reunion of Sousuke's body. 

The important call had truly lightened his spirits. 

When the other stopped in front of him, the blond opened the folds of the kimono below the sash, urging Sousuke to take a seat on his lap with a little nudge at the small of his back. Kisuke embraced his body closer as soon as he was seated. 

He slid aside the material at Aizen's shoulder to whisper a heated "I need you." 

Sousuke might as well get rid of the robe entirely, the secured obi was practically the only thing that kept the cloth from falling off. Continuing the heated kisses along the lightly tanned skin, Sousuke's fatigued state turned into an aroused mood. 

The brunet squirmed on top of his lap as the little nips and whispered breaths made him lock his arms at the back of Kisuke's nape, silently begging for more of the same treatment. 

Kisuke happily granted that. Lavishing his lover's skin with wet kisses garnered the blond the attention of Aizen's hands curiously seeking out to reclaim what was once his. He silenced the labored breathing of the other by rejoining their mouths, whispering in between kisses "Maybe it's best to stop here…for now." 

Aizen was quick to deny the need to take anything slow. "We have two little ones running around already, it is a little too late for that." 

"That's not really what I meant though." Said Kisuke slyly while the brunet was busy returning the favor of lavishing his neck, especially paying attention to the crevice in his collarbone. 

"Do not fret," Murmured Sousuke. "I will not be wishing upon another child." 

"But, we will risk waking up our current children." 

The brunet frowned, but the flush on his face didn't make the warned glare all that effective. 

"Oh yeah, you can be loud sometimes." Predicting the other’s comeback, he defused the disagreement by aligning their lips again. 

Heated arguments would always be an aspect of them. It's what rekindled their passion each time. The more smoldering it got, the more sparks would fly. And he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Aizen got out of his lap and helped Kisuke in getting rid of his hakama, the condom that fell out of his pocket had the brunet retorting with a satisfied "One would think you had it all planned out, and then there are some who would call me a manipulator…" 

Kisuke grinned. "Put your mouth to good use." 

His cock practically twitched in anticipation when the other’s mouth approached. It had the blond waiting with bated breath on seeing the display of his length disappear between the brunet's lips. And giving out a shuddering breath when he finally settled into that heat. 

He shrugged off his samue top before letting one hand rake through those luscious chocolate colored locks, without the feel of gel keeping it coarse. The blond sighed loudly when Sousuke's mouth picked up a rhythm, too soon though that sweet heat disappeared as Sousuke opened the square package with his teeth, rolling it smoothly along his cock. 

When the other settled back on his lap, Kisuke halted the brunet in removing the kimono completely. "I like it on you." He heatedly pronounced against Sousuke's lips before securing his hands around the other’s hips. 

He helped lowering the brunet on his girth as Sousuke sported a visible painful grimace. Feeling the trembles in Aizen's legs, he tried to ease the pain somewhat, he hadn't stretched the brunet while it had been in quite some time. 

When his lover had lowered himself completely, so Kisuke was sheathed fully, the blond still had to refrain from any movement. The strained posture of the other signified he hadn't adjusted yet, his tightened state made it near impossible to move even a little. 

Stroking Sousuke's limp organ back to life, he managed to unwind his lover enough so those hips moved in sync to the slow strokes. And eventually urged a pace that seemed to quicken as frenzied need began to surface. 

The brunet's breathless gasps were harsh, stubbornly refusing to let out a sound. His lover was well aware that Kisuke couldn't thrust his pelvis at the desired speed with their current position. Deciding to give the other a push, more like pull, in the right direction, the blond tightened his fist and sped up his pumps. 

The result of it had Sousuke grinding down harder, before his hips tilted up and Kisuke's hand that was wrapped around the brunet's cock was met by a thick moisture. Letting Aizen calm down from his high for a minute, Kisuke put his palms on the inside of the other’s thighs, lifting the brunet just a tad bit so he was able to thrust harder. 

Which made him not that far off himself from that rapture. The quick snap of his hips had him pushing deeper in the over-sensitized brunet and evoked some breathy cries out of his stubborn lover. He came a bit later with a choked "Sousuke!" as their furiously beating hearts died down. 

He listened briefly if any noise signaled their twins had woken up, but that didn't happen to be the case, luckily. And gave the other a deep kiss while saying, "I love you." reassuring Sousuke that he didn't need to return that phrase until he was ready.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sunday morning Kisuke was up before anyone else, besides Koichi that is. He could hear the little one's efforts in removing the swaddling blanket that Aizen kept on insisting he wear for extra safety. 

Koichi was gazing around until he became aware of Kisuke's presence, and a loud happy cry followed immediately. 

Urahara chuckled and took the little one in his arms, after making a shushing gesture with a finger against his lips. Koichi's twin was still deeply asleep for the time being, and Daichi was best left to rest until he woke up voluntarily. 

The little one could get very cranky in the morning; Kisuke had witnessed that yesterday. It kept the moody twin in a sulky temper for the rest of the day. 

Koichi mimicked the gesture happily, and as soon as he was put down on the futon, began babbling a whole tale of imaginary words while vigorously waving his hands around. As quiet as the kid could be, Koichi's mumbled words were not even close to a whisper. 

Kisuke interrupted the little one's incoherent story, saying, "Koichi, you need to be a little more quiet." The whisper was a great example of how to tone down his voice, but it had the kid giggling for some reason and igniting a louder voice due to the child's energetic state. "Your father and brother are still asleep; we can't make a lot of noise right now." 

As another fit of giggles erupted, a deep chuckle came from behind him. Kisuke glanced back to see the brunet who apparently had been awake the entire time, one elbow supporting his head while encouraging Koichi behind Kisuke's back. 

"And here I am trying my best to let you enjoy your rest," said Kisuke in a doting voice. 

"How adorable, but I could not resist; it is so much fun fooling daddy," Sousuke replied, the sentence practically dripping with sugar. 

For just a second their attention was focused on each other, sharing a sweet morning kiss as Koichi decided to wake up his brother with a loudly exclamation. At that point, the still sleeping twin's tolerance was long since breached and a deafening cry filled the room. 

As Sousuke instantly made motions to look at their noise maker, Kisuke told the brunet to stay put and got the kid instead. "My Kisuke, so hospitable. Careful, I might get used to that." 

The blond proceeded to untuck Daichi from the covers and told Sousuke, "You are already used to it my queen… I mean king. Sorry, couldn't resist." 

Once Daichi was taken out of his crib, the noisy twin made motions at Sousuke, almost pulling at Kisuke's arms so he could free himself. "Okay okay I get it." He handed Daichi over to his father, and once safely in Sousuke's hold, the kid fixed a surly expression on him. Kisuke held up his hands in surrender. "Wow, hey it's not me who woke you." 

Sousuke tried to distract him in an attempt to whither the sullen look, to no avail. 

Kisuke broke away from the infant's intense stare when he felt a yank on his pajama pants. He couldn't decipher Koichi's mumbles, but he did recognize the gesture that indicated that they were hungry. "Yeah, come let's get breakfast started." He took Koichi back into his arms. 

Sousuke appeared in the doorframe with Daichi before Kisuke had even fully warmed the twins' bottles. Daichi was squirming in Sousuke's hands now, accompanied with little whines of protest. 

Kisuke chuckled. "He's not on your side anymore?" Sousuke showed him the pacifier he had in his hands. "Aha, that explains it. Now you're going to suffer his wrath." 

"Oh, but my wrath is worse," said Sousuke knowingly, putting the squirming infant on the couch before proceeding to set up the table. 

Daichi's glower worsened as if the kid understood what they were talking about, then he looked specifically in Kisuke's direction and signaled to be picked up. 

That was a sudden change of allegiance… 

When the surly look went ignored, his siren cry was used as second tactic. It had Kisuke relenting and coming over to pick up the kid. Of course, the crying quit as soon as he was lifted. 

Sousuke clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You are so easily persuaded." 

Twenty minutes later, Daichi and Koichi finally had their bottles, the both of them respectively on Kisuke and Sousuke's lap. Their breakfast lasted longer with Sousuke there, and he was plainly dragging out their eventual goodbyes, which would be for at least a week. 

It depended on how fast Kisuke could arrange everything. "I would rather just leave with you immediately, but with the twins… I want to make sure that everything's taken care of." They needed to be safe at all times while they shook off Soul Society. 

Sousuke nodded. "Can you not let Yoruichi sell your house? You must have acquired some money over all of these years." 

"It's not only about the money, Sousuke." The sentimental worth the shop had to him could not be simply passed off to someone else, not even to his best friend. It's something he had to do himself. 

"I want to get out of Karakura Town as fast as possible. You cannot imagine how unsettling it is when you cannot feel anyone's pressure, enemy or not. I cannot count the times that one of the twins have gotten frustrated by their reiatsu sealing materials and simply pulled them off; In that instant I truly fear the Onmitsukidou breaking in and taking them away from me." 

As concealed as that fear was right now, Kisuke could still see it in Sousuke's eyes. He didn't try to linger too long on the fact that it was exactly the planned course this weekend should have taken. "Doesn't Gin invest in any sort of shield?" How else could Ichimaru have hidden his rather alive and well state. 

"He does, it's just," the brunet looked at him and whispered, "he's not you." 

It didn't pass Sousuke's lips, but the statement of, 'I feel safe with you' was subtly noted. 

"It is such a huge and frightening change to depend on someone." Coming from his mighty and superior position, that was indeed a completely different situation.. 

Maybe he hadn't been listening properly because he couldn't follow the sudden course their conversation took. "I'm so afraid of us, Kisuke," but he appreciated Sousuke's honesty in bringing up his anxieties. 

They needed to learn how to rely on each other with complete trust, something that couldn't work if Aizen kept everything bottled up inside. 

He took a hold of Sousuke's wrist, the one that wasn't blocked by Koichi. "It's always a risk, but we will make it; nothing will come in between us." He reassured both Sousuke's worries at once, giving a comforting squeeze at the same time. 

Sadly their one on one time had to end, for Tessai would arrive soon with the teens, convinced that Aizen would be locked up. Kisuke would like to enlighten his friend without that plan being explained to Sousuke. It just could not be leaked to him, definitely not when the brunet was finally opening up to him. 

"Are you taking Daichi first?" One twin at a time had to be strolled back to the apartment. "Just let me come along quickly, so I can check Gin's force field." 

Slight distrust was visible in the other's eyes so he didn't push it any further. 'It's just for a week' he retorted to himself. 

Saying his goodbyes was difficult, the squeeze around the brunet's middle had turned into a full embrace when neither wanted to let go of each other anytime soon, then became a passionate kiss. 

Eventually, they separated because the twins didn't appreciate the lack of attention. Daichi was already fastened into the stroller, with his pacifier keeping the surly twin silent while his brother had squished himself between Sousuke and Kisuke. 

While holding Koichi, he tried to say his goodbye to the kid in the stroller, but Daichi refused to wave or give any sort of indication back. "No kiss? You're so evil… you're going to make daddy sad," said Kisuke in a fake saddened tone, though the twin's glower stayed headstrong. "Well, at least I get a kiss from mommy instead." 

His puckered lips were ignored by the brunet, who was just as stubborn as their son. "That word just earned you no kiss at all." The sass was on full force as Kisuke slumped over and made a fake sniff. 

He did smile at Sousuke's kiss mid air, watching them gradually disappear while Koichi waved them off happily. The shopkeeper only closed the door when they were nowhere in sight anymore. 

Koichi comforted his still slumped over form with a handover of his blanky. "Aw that's sweet Koichi," only for the kid to change his mind a second later, ripping the blanket from Kisuke's grip, and clutching it tightly between two tiny fists. Kisuke chuckled, muttering under his breath, "You're more evil than your brother." 

-0- 

"I can't believe it!" Tessai sounded truly disappointed. 

"I made the right choice," Kisuke said while the other shook his head. "I want my children growing up with their carrier." 

"And potentially have them become sociopaths in the long run while in his hands?" 

"No, they will not! I'll be there to steer them in the right direction, including Aizen." 

"Which you have tried before and it ended with you in prison... again." 

Couldn't Tessai understand his choice? That this was the only right option, without bringing past events into it? 

"That was a mistake. Sousuke had nothing to do with it this time, or else he wouldn't have come back for me." It doesn't even make sense that the other would try his best to get Kisuke locked up, only to plead for him to take Sousuke back afterwards. 

"And you still believe him… if it's anything, it's definitely not out of love, but a sick obsession with you." 

He looked at Tessai sadly. "I thought out of everyone that you would understand." 

His friend didn't answer that. "Is that the kind of life lesson that you will teach your children?" he responded, nudging at Koichi who was seated on Kisuke's lap, busy with some blocks on the table. "Because hurting the person you hold dear equals love? I would like to see your kids in a few years, minds already warped by Aizen's doing. They won't be able to depend on your hold when your relationship with the traitor is as stable as a first year reciting a kidou spell above 80." 

Kisuke slammed a hand on the table, the wonkily stacked tower of blocks fell apart as Koichi startled at his outburst. The blond hushed the kid's beginnings of a cry soothingly, his anger defused by the presence of his son. He replied, "What would you rather have me do? Lie to my own children about the whereabouts of their carrier? Forever keeping Sousuke out of their lives will eventually have them turn against me." 

That was apparently what Tessai wanted to hear, a consent on imprisoning Aizen. 

"Not when everybody agrees on Aizen's deeds; they will learn that it was for the best." 

Kisuke shook his head this time. "I can't live like that. I'm not Isshin: I'm not going to keep my children in the dark." 

"So you will tell them everything about Aizen? From all of the lives he ended to how he blamed you?" 

"What I will tell them later on is a watered down version of everything that happened, just enough to let them know that mistakes in life happen and are a fine way of learning. Nothing more, nothing less." 

"So you don't find it hard to lie about all the trouble he's caused?" 

"Tessai, don't make me regret informing you about it," Kisuke said wearily. 

He didn't want to fight anymore on his decision, nor should he have to. 

"We don't have any children, so we can't judge him," Yoruichi at least had his back. 

"I'm just warning him on the great mistake he's going to make," Tessai told Yoruichi before looking back at Kisuke. "If you would be running off alone, I would understand, but with him… Don't make any impulsive decisions. You need some time alone." 

"Tessai, I don't have that much time; the Seireitei is becoming increasingly more curious, meddling in my affairs." 

The bell rang and Kisuke packed the last of Koichi's stuff, ready to hand over the little one to Aizen. It wouldn't be wise to let Aizen into the house when Tessai openly showed his disapproval. 

Jinta called him over from in the doorway, but before he brought over Koichi, he told Tessai, "I'm tired of the cat and mouse game; it's enough." He finally wanted some peace. 

He rounded the corner to come face to face with… Gin? "What are-" 

"They took Aizen, the baby, and Kira." 

Kisuke stood rigid for a second before the words got through to him. He saw Yoruichi making motions of leaving. "Wait, I'm coming with you." 

"I don't think taking Koichi along is a good idea." 

No, definitely not, since they took the other twin as well. He contemplated if it was even a good idea to leave Koichi here with Tessai. Even Gin seemed a better option right now. Turning to look at his friend, Kisuke could see the hurt in Tessai's eyes over his hesitation. 

"This is not what I want either; your kids don't need to be the victims." 

While he knew that his friend would never betray him, he still handed Koichi to Jinta. "We'll talk later," he told Gin as he disappeared with Yoruichi. 

-0- 

"We had a deal," said Kisuke the minute he stepped into Kyouraku's quarters. "The kids were not going to be involved; you swore that they would be kept out of this!" 

"And you know that Central 46 stands above me, that any decision they make is out of my hands." 

"Where are they?!" he growled out, not interested in hearing any of his excuses. Kyouraku could still use his veto, so he should have done something! 

"Aizen's trial is scheduled to begin any minute now-" Yoruichi was out of the room before Shunsui could even finish his sentence. As Kisuke made attempts to follow her, Kyouraku halted him with a warned, "You won't be allowed inside, and furthermore, you aren't connected to the case anymore. You're cleared of any suspicions, so try building up your life again." 

Kisuke snorted, "Without the carrier of my children?" and shook his head. "You can bet I'm going to build up my life again, but I'm not leaving here without the other parts of that life!" 

Kyouraku drew attention to the Royal Guards in the room that seemed to be awaiting Kisuke. "The Soul King is expecting you." 

Kisuke didn't make any attempt to follow the guards. "I don't care about the Soul King." 

"Such words, under normal circumstances, can earn you the death penalty. But, I'll ignore it since you don't know what you're saying right now," he replied almost monotonously. 

"Oh, I know well enough what I'm saying. I have done so much for the Seireitei, and I'm not asking for any acknowledgement, but the least I expected from you was a little cooperation." 

"Your child is up in the Royal Realm." 

Before Kisuke followed the guards he stopped near Kyouraku. "The war took its toll on everyone, and everybody had his losses. I know that Ukitake's was a tough one on you, but I don't think that he would have been proud of you for breaking apart a family." He was not manipulating Kyouraku by any means; he was not Aizen. Shunsui just needed to be woken up and go back to his previous self rather than this mindless puppet of the Seireitei he had become. 

-0- 

By the entrance of the Royal Realm, because of safety procedures, Kisuke's zanpakuto was taken away before he was allowed to enter the gate. 

He was not even fully through his pat down before he wrenched himself out of the guards' hands, having heard the familiar sound of Daichi crying. The blond could care less about defying protocol when his son was most likely in danger. 

He could block the first restraining kidou that was shot his way. There was just no ignoring the distraught sobs behind the gates, so he was barely thinking straight when he abandoned the use of an offensive spell and used Hado number 63 as an act to keep the guards at bay. 

While it would inevitably earn him a punishment, because attacking the King's Guards equals treachery, he was not going to risk the chance of Daichi being harmed. 

The longer the child was in the hands of the king, the longer he was distracted from freeing Aizen. 

Finally entering the gates, his pursuers were long past caring about the fact that they had to use unnecessary force to stop Kisuke. Although restraining his reiatsu was deftly ignored. no one wanted to risk the chance of Aizen's powers being freed in this instant. 

The Hado spell number 88 was with the use of an incantation being fired off by the group of guards, who were now purposely teaming up to prevent Urahara from physically reaching the king. 

The only way he could stop the barrage of kidou spells of that caliber was with Danku. The rectangular barrier was thankfully strong enough to obstruct such a destructive onslaught. 

They were really not taking any chances with him, but the obstruction did its job and blocked him off from their attacks. 

He turned his attention to the king, who had a crying Daichi in his arms. Still, he couldn't take more than a couple of steps into the long hallway leading up to the throne before the two Divine Guards in the front managed to bind the blond's hands with spiritual tape. 

The king didn't seem too offended by his actions, in the mean time he tried to shush Kisuke's son with flagrant baby talk that didn't do anything except make the child even more distressed. 

"Give me my son!" Kisuke futilely fought against his restraints, his own reiatsu coming out in dangerous waves, provokingly warning the king. While his majesty calmly told his guards off, who were ready at that point to bind Urahara's reiatsu anyways. 

"I have to give it to you and Aizen; you two make beautiful children," the king said, ignoring Kisuke's demand. He caressed one of the child's tear streaked cheeks with a palm as he ignored Kisuke's shouts to hand over his kid again. 

Daichi tried his best to struggle in the king's hold, helplessly reaching his tiny hands out in Urahara's direction. The king rearranged Daichi's slumping form on his hip, watching Kisuke with a calm gaze. "I'm sure you are here to negotiate your lover's freedom." 

"I'm here for my son!" 

The king's gaze changed into a mocking look of shock, "Not your lover then?" 

"I first want my kid safely back in my arms before we settle anything else." 

His plea went completely unheard by his majesty as the king called someone over. "You remember my consort," he said, motioning to his young male lover, that no doubt looked like a Kuchiki descendant: pale, flawless skin and long, raven black hair ran in that family. 

Kisuke had met the consort during the arrangement of the Hogyoku. 

The king handed Daichi over to his consort and turned pitch black eyes towards Urahara. "The one you promised to help with the Hogyoku, the object I consented to you crafting, if only so it could fulfill our wish of a rightful heir to the throne." 

Daichi's squirming didn't cease at all in the stranger's hands while the king continued, "And because of your broken promise, I had to call in the help of someone else to craft a similar invention. Unfortunately, there is just no one else who can do what you can. And, as such, I am left heirless for the time being. But," he snapped his fingers as immense reiatsu wafted off of the king. Kisuke cringed at the enormous pressure, gritting his teeth while the consort fell to his knees with Daichi still in his arms. 

The child was instantly left unconscious by the pure force that hit his still immature pressure system. 

"Daichi!" he cried out after the oppression diminished. 

"Peace and quiet at last," said the king, referring to the slumped over form of the kid. "I do appreciate your efforts in helping me though." 

Kisuke was too busy reaching out with his own reiatsu to his son, trying hard to receive any sort of reaction back, before the words got through to him. 

His puzzled look had the Soul King replying, "In other words, I should claim your child as compensation for that loss." 

"No!" his almost whispered shout sounded loud in the large hollow room. 

"No worries. There's a chance that with the help of your instructions, two lives could be spared after all." The sinister statement was followed by a couple of guards shackling the king's consort while Daichi's limp form was once again in the arms of the Soul King. "But, it will inevitably depend on the fact if my contact can actually make any sense out of your… manual." 

The blond narrowed his eyes. It was beginning to make sense, but who was the contact that he was talking about? 

"Let me make your choice a little easier," he put the little one on the floor and made some hand signs, but Kisuke couldn't decipher the gestures as any spell. When the king reached towards Daichi with glowing hands, coupled with the following words, it was clear that he was utilizing a spiritual contract. "On the child's ninth birth year, he will be summoned as a sacrifice for the Royal Realm and will be tasked in providing me an heir when the time comes." 

Kisuke struggled with all of his might to get free, but no use of his reiatsu or strength could stop the invisible seal from being deployed. It was branded into Daichi like a chip, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. 

The king laid the child's lifeless body a couple of feet before him on the ground and made sure that he was barricaded off again behind his wall of Divine Guards before he ordered the removal of Kisuke's restraints. 

The blond flash-stepped towards the kid and scooped him up safely into his arms while inspecting the little one's body with a glowing hand of reiatsu. But of course there was no direct hint traceable of the curse… 

He turned narrowed grey eyes on his majesty. 

"If my contact can simulate a copy of the Hogyoku, your child will be freed of his burden. If not, I will no longer have any need for my consort, since your child carries the powers of the Hogyoku naturally." 

Kisuke wasn't sure if the remnants of the orb were powerful enough to rival the Hogyoku in itself. They would grow in accordance to Daichi's strength so it was yet unknown if they would assimilate a reaction as strong as the Hogyoku. 

The king's young male lover was taken away while his majesty himself didn't heed his lover's pleas. "So their fate lays in your hands… or should I say, your instructions." 

"Who is your contact?" It could only be one person, the thieving of his papers of the Hogyoku, and Mayuri's sudden interest in anything related to the orb was beginning to look like more than just simple coincidence. 

"Your time here is up," said the king, raising his hand. "You won't be reunited with your zanpakuto, not until I'm sure of your cooperation, since you did attempt an attack on my guards…" he couldn't even blink before he was forcefully expelled from the realm and back into the Urahara shop. 

He left immediately for Tessai's to make sure that he could place Daichi somewhere safely, and also to check over Koichi. Kisuke knew deep down that Tessai wouldn't hurt his children, but after his friend's blatant disrespect of Kisuke's choice, it remained a constant fear that kept gnawing at him. 

But in whose hands could he leave his children, if not his long time friend? Yoruichi was already doing all she could do to help him. And right now he wasn't doing anything for Aizen at all. Why did it have to be so difficult? He shouldn't have to make a choice between the two; he should be allowed to freely live his own life, even if that life included an ex-criminal and said criminal's children… 

Tessai sat at the kitchen table together with the teens, Yoruichi, and Gin. The blond felt momentary relief at seeing that Ururu had Koichi in her arms and that the kid looked okay and as energetic as ever at seeing him. 

Tessai stood up the second he saw Urahara, or perhaps it was the seemingly lifeless body of Daichi that drew their attention. 

Ururu held a hand before her mouth in a look that spoke of shock, while he heard Jinta mumble, "Is he…" 

"He's alive." Aside from the paralyzed dream-state that Daichi was currently in, and the slumbering curse, the little one would wake up in a bit, appearing otherwise healthy overall. At their reserved enthusiasm and the creeping silence, he asked the dreaded, "What is Sousuke's verdict?" 

Yoruichi was the only one to break the silence. "They will remove the Hogyoku in two days." 

The death sentence. 

No doubt Central 46 fully understood the consequence of removing the orb, especially given Mayuri's meddling. In other words , Kisuke had no more than 48 hours to find a way to get Aizen out of the Seireitei. 

The blond nodded fleetingly and told Tessai a bitter sounding, "I'm sure you were very happy to hear that," before he passed them to get to the guest room. Yoruichi was naturally the only one that dared to follow him. 

When he felt her reiatsu approaching, he asked, "He's not placed in Muken I assume?" He placed Daichi down into the crib, using both hands to do a thorough check up. 

"He's placed under supervision in one of the cells that's used before the happenings of a trial." 

That made things easier, although his supervision should definitely not be underestimated. 

Kisuke still couldn't find anything amiss internally, but he wasn't going to give up, maybe Benihime would have more success. 

Yoruichi laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I have a plan, Kisuke." 

"It would worry me if you didn't," he smiled back. "But, I will first need Benihime back. If we're both running away without the help of our zanpakuto, we won't stand a chance. At least one of us needs full access to their abilities." He nodded towards Daichi's still form in the crib. "Could you watch over him? There's something I need to do." 

She nodded but her suspicious glance told Kisuke that there was a chance of his friend following him, just for the sake of keeping an eye on his actions that could potentially endanger any plan. However, she didn't need to worry, not as long as he didn't have his zanpakuto with him. 

After barging into the 12th division in search of Mayuri, he was not so kindly reminded to leave the property. By Kurotsuchi's protégé; Akon: the same one that Kisuke employed in the research and development team in his time of captaincy, no less. 

According to the lieutenant, he had no business residing in the S.R.D.I, not when he had been an accomplice in Aizen's schemes. 

Mayuri's foul gossip had made its rounds again. Kisuke had apparently not only committed adultery with the traitor, but was now also known as the one who confederated as a crime against the Soul Society. Kisuke's crime record changed from not guilty to henchman and instigator on a daily basis if he had to believe all the rumors. And let's not forget their five and a half month old twins, because they were seriously vicious. 

But despite all the talk, he did not cause a scene and simply walked out of his founded division, right into the Maggots Nest. He managed to pass through the long halls of cells until one of the patrolling guards notified one of the superiors of Kisuke's presence. 

It felt more like déjà vu when he was surrounded by guards once again in less than 24 hours. "Urahara," no use of title and his full name being ignored quickly drew the blond's attention to their uncooperativeness in making any claims on supposedly trying to help him. 

"Can I ask what you're looking for." The tone was definitely not stated as a question. 

"You know who I'm looking for," he told the second in command of security of the prison. 

"Your traitor lover's not being held captive here." The man gave a nod to one of the guards, who attempted to take a hold of Kisuke's arm to escort him back out. 

He shook off the other's grip with the use of reiatsu. As unnecessary as it was, his patience was wearing thin. "I need a word with Mayuri, now!" 

The head of security shared a glance with one of the others and gave another nod before the guy walked off, presumably to get Mayuri for him. 

In the mean time, his person was still being blocked off from taking another step further into the prison. However, he didn't have to wait too long for the guy to return with an urgent message from a custom Hell-butterfly. 

Mayuri personally invited him to Hueco Mundo, as he was dying to show him something anyways. The other scientist's flamboyant, amused voice was enough to make Kisuke's skin crawl. 

Was Mayuri successful in constructing another Hogyoku? Was this his so called surprise? 

The notes on the Hogyoku had always been indecipherable instructions in that they were purposefully formed in a complicated mess so that even in Aizen's hands, it did not result in the desired outcome when the steps were followed thoroughly. Kisuke did that with most of his inventions that formed a danger against the known worlds when the user of it could stray off of the path of good intentions. 

They were by no means specific commands that a child could use to assemble a mass effective weapon easily. Instead, there were random equations, scribbled notes and here and there were some added jumbled thoughts that acted more like guidelines than actual instructions. 

Still, Kisuke would not risk any of those guides falling into the hands of the wrong person… until it actually happened more than once. After fleeing the Seireitei he should put some effort into inventing a secure safe for any of his 'guides'. 

By the time he finally reached Mayuri, he was all but storming in the direction of the captain of the 12th division. Although he had to remind himself that attacking a captain of the Gotei 13 would be added into his record, he long since didn't care anymore: t's not like his criminal record wasn't long enough already, according to the rumors, and he decked Mayuri square in the face, enhanced with reiatsu. 

It gave him some satisfaction to hear the crunch and see the other covering his bloody nose behind a hand. 

Nemu stepped in after a command from her creator to help staunch the blood flow. Still, the 12th division's captain kept grinning in that creepy way. 

"I would say, ' what's your problem?' if I didn't know it already. I'm taking everything away from you. I took your title as captain, your position in the Maggots Nest, and, the day after tomorrow, your lover's life." He ended in a creepy, taunting laugh. 

Urahara had difficulty keeping control, but he would not risk getting a penalty for attacking Mayuri. It would only achieve him a spot into one of Mayuri's prison cells, especially with the king's obvious allegiance on the other's side. "You better be glad I don't have Benihime at my side." 

The scientist gave him an ugly sneer. 

He saw a couple of the attendants of the research and development team run towards them, giving Mayuri the okay sign. 

Mayuri suddenly grinned Kisuke's way and pointed at the fortress that still stood miles away from them. "I hope that you took a picture for your traitor lover," he said before expressively pushing a button, and the whole fortress blew up. 

The white building collapsed as everybody ducked the enormous wave of pressure, sand and other bits and pieces that flew in the air during the explosion and afterwards. 

"I'll be certain to take a picture of the rubble to show it to your traitor lover before I dig out the Hogy-" 

Kisuke flew at Mayuri as his self control crumbled and his anger exploded when it seemed like he was helpless against all that came his way. It was simply the last drop. 

It had been Aizen's sanctuary, the place where Sousuke had admitted that he would like to build up something together with him, out of the Seireitei's reach. He should have had a little more faith in Aizen then; their distrust in each other had inevitably destroyed each other. When they managed to escape, their new beginning would be a beautiful metaphor to build up from the rubble. 

Kisuke didn't give the other any time to utilize his shikai, nor even the chance in reaching in the general direction of his zanpakuto. He pushed the other down, and seated himself upon the other's torso, blocking off the use of Mayuri's hands with his knees. 

The blond repeatedly punched Mayuri, channeling all of his inner rage and frustrations through his fists as they made contact with Kurotsuchi's grinning mug. The force field he generated around them kept anyone from interfering. 

When the grin faltered to make way for a bloody mess, the blond grasped the front of Mayuri's robes, pulling him as close as possible to his face, while still centering all of his weight on top of the captain to effectively immobilize him. 

"Did you or did you not steal my papers of the Hogyoku?!" 

The other started laughing, involuntarily agreeing to his statement, and only succeeding in enraging Kisuke even more. "Answer me!" he yelled while shaking the other's by now coughing form, because the one beneath him almost choked on his own blood. 

It was eventually Yoruichi who managed to dismantle his force field and the one who had to almost wrench him off of Mayuri's heaving physique. "Stop it," she told him, shielding the other scientist from Kisuke's view. "This is exactly what he wants you to do." His long time friend's soothing embrace made Kisuke aware that he had been shuddering with adrenaline. 

He had truly lost it for a moment, becoming as crazy as Mayuri himself with true intent of bloodshed and that by a few words. 

He had never been that pushed to the extreme before. He had on more than a few occasions wanted to injure Aizen, yes, because his words could cut like glass too, but at absolutely no point in time had he wanted to kill Sousuke. 

It was for the best that she dragged him away, out of sight from the other. He didn't know what he was capable of at the moment and with Soul Society already so trustworthy of him… He should be focused on fleeing with Aizen and his kids, not getting distracted in the process and ending up in prison too. 

"You have just been freed from suspicion of harboring Aizen when the king was in search of him, and then you do this." 

Kisuke rubbed his temples and forehead as if he could physically order all of his unorganized thoughts. "Do I?" he asked doubtfully. She looked at him. "Do I have a clean slate right now?" 

"If you don't attack others, then yes," she reassured him. 

"Then it's obviously done for a reason; the king is purposely giving me the benefit of the doubt, even if he realizes that I secretly met up with Sousuke." 

"Don't be as paranoid as Aizen." 

"Yoruichi," the emotions running through his voice as he halted his friend's speech with a yell made her look at him in an instant. "He freaking cursed my son!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don’t want it to be that kind of rant but it will be; I’ve put Rehabilitate on the backburner for a reason. If I compare this story with its prequel, there seems to be an obvious lack of interest in Rehabilitate.   
> Detained is my most popular story, (Although I want to use that term lightly, since its nowhere near comparable to well known authors’ stories in the Bleach community) but on multiple occasions I’ve wanted to delete the Detained series.   
> It should not be about Kudos/likes, but let’s be honest, I’ve put my creations public so it’s normal to expect something back. (Or I might just as well keep them all private for personal entertainment)   
> Now don’t worry for those that are still interested, it’s just something I needed to point out. I will not keep my fics hostage! (ex: I need so many reviews before I continue) I’m not that kind of person.   
> And rest be assured I will finish my current fics. However, I will change my update schedule: Fics that recieve no reaction will be updated much slower, since I conclude that nobody’s waiting for an update. 
> 
> That being said, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has shown their support (reviews, likes, favorites, kudos or subs) you don’t know how much of an encouragment that is. And an even bigger thanks to those that are continued supporters!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Kisuke looked across from him at Gin, who was loudly stirring his spoon in his coffee-less mug. 

"I didn't do anythin' with Aizen, if that's what ya're thinkin'," the silver-haired male uttered. 

Gin's constant, agitated gestures with his mug, now empty for at least 45 minutes, clearly signaled nervousness. "Why would I think that?" questioned Kisuke curiously, while he was feeding his twins spoonfuls of mashed food. Koichi and Daichi were both seated on Ururu's lap, who sat next to Kisuke. 

"Well, ya're together with him an' then…" 

He wasn't sure if Gin was intimidated by him in any way, or if maybe Ichimaru was just as affected by the pure helplessness of their situation. Nobody had slept a wink last night, except the twins, who were, thankfully, unaware for the most part. 

"Sousuke told me that you and he were never an item." Kisuke wasn't looking for any sort of validation, because as far as trust went, he was certain enough that Aizen spoke the truth about that. 

"True, it was just…" The fox-like features swept over to the teen and the kids that were present with them in the kitchen. Ururu looked busy enough, wiping away any leftovers of their lunch from the twins' mouths while also trying to keep their squirming forms properly seated. "… an arrangement back in Hueco Mundo. I thin' that his mind has always been focused on one person only." 

More like an obsession. It couldn't be avoided; Tessai wasn't entirely straying from the truth of Aizen's character with that statement. In Kisuke's time as captain of the 12th division, the brunet had shown quite an interest in him, in his work that is… 

As if their relationship hadn't started off on an unhealthy enough basis already… 

"How did you manage to survive Sousuke's attack?" 

The spoon clattered in the empty mug again. "Ta girl helped me, Izuru-chan or Shiro-chan might 'ave informed her." 

Might have even been Matsumoto. From what Kisuke had witnessed, she did have a good connection with Inoue, and an even deeper one with Gin. The fact that Orihime had healed Gin didn't entirely surprise him; she always has been a sweet character, albeit a little gullible. 

"And from then on, you decided to steer your life back on the right track?" 

The other gave a shrug and a nod. "Yea, I try." 

"Should have tried harder and moved away from out of Karakura town. The reishi concentration is too high here, so eventually the Seireitei will catch on. An ordinary shield will only manage to keep the trackers away for so long." 

"I've noticed," the other said dryly. 

"I was never suspicious about Aizen running off with you," he reassured the other when the poor mug was once again dealt an onslaught of silver clattering. 

The glance Gin shot him afterwards betrayed the extra weight that had lifted from his shoulders by the blond's reassurance. 

"It has crossed my mind, yes. But, I'm sure that you're already too busy two timing Kira and Hitsugaya." 

The other gave him an uneasy grin, and turned his body away from Urahara's so he was sitting sideways, doing his best to avoid looking into Kisuke's direction again. 

It was not a minute too soon for Yoruichi to pop through the door. 

"Tomorrow morning, Aizen is allowed to state, more like declare, his last words." 

Not able to trust his voice, Kisuke nodded briefly. 

She sat herself down with them at the table and pointed determinedly in Kisuke's direction. "And you're expected to be there." 

He looked at her warily. Urahara couldn't be there; he didn't want to be there to hear the other bare all in front of the wrong crowd, a group who only gathered to gain sadistic pleasure by witnessing Aizen at his lowest. 

Sousuke has a way of gracefully expressing himself —beneath the dozen layers of false pride— but those kinds of words are something he would never want to hear from him. A heartfelt farewell to him and their children was not something he could bear to be a spectator of. 

"No," he said plainly. 

"You have to. You need to show the king that you're completely oblivious to what's going to happen." 

If that was the only way to get Benihime back, his friend had to find another way. 

"I don't want to be sitting there, front row witness, seemingly betraying Sousuke." 

They were trying so hard to make it work between them, and he wasn't going to ruin it. A leak in their recently reconstructed faith in each other was enough to break Aizen away from him entirely. Aizen's focus had to be centered on him and their children, not on revenge since Sousuke's vengefulness was best left suppressed. 

"You won't hear him, because Aizen will not show up." 

Sudden comprehension dawned on the blond with those words. "It's happening in the morning?" 

She nodded. "In the evening, at his execution, security will be at its highest. We are talking about Aizen after all. And if the Seireitei's expecting an uproar or a planned escape, they're excepting it then." 

"I would actually be concerned about his speech," Kisuke mumbled doubtfully. 

"Oh, but the square will be brimming with 'anonymous individuals' of the Patrol Corps and the Punishment Force will be guarding the rest of it. There will be so many procedures regarding safety that they'll slacken their security at the holding cells. Soi Fon, together with the seated members of the 2nd division, is tasked with transporting Aizen. So, it's crucial for you to be at the square to not raise suspicion." 

Kisuke looked at Tessai, who appeared in the doorway, giving him a sign that Urahara could trust him in keeping everything confidential. 

"And Soi Fon's willing to free Sousuke?" 

She grinned. "I'll be taking over her task." 

Kisuke smiled back brightly, "Did you persuade her with nudes of you again?" 

Yoruichi feigned a look of absolute —fake— innocence. "I would never… it wasn't needed, Kyouraku will be there as it is obliged as Captain Commander, and he'll be the one to persuade her to step down from her task, as well as cover our backs." 

Kisuke felt sudden guilt bubble up at the harsh words that had passed between them. He definitely owed Shunsui an apology. 

The plan seemed infallible now, but that could only be said with certainty once Aizen was freed from out of prison and when they managed to get out of Karakura town further unscathed. 

"And from then on?" 

She rubbed her hands together, for the first time focusing her attention on Gin, who had been silent the entire time. "Well…" 

-0- 

The twins were napping as Kisuke prepared their gigai. He needed to busy himself with something, so as to not let any pessimistic thoughts creep in that found a way to see some fault in Yoruichi's plan. And creating a modified body so humans could see Daichi and Koichi was incidentally a step forward towards their future. 

He had created an identity for the two already, a piece of paper that in the real world was viewed as an authentication to someone's existence. Creating falsified information was something he excelled in, since he had done it for a multiple of individuals already, including himself years ago. And something that he had made for Aizen from the moment they travelled to Hawaii, good times… 

"Urahara-san." 

He looked behind him to see Ichigo standing there, ever present scowl absent, looking for all the world as if he were a little down. 

"You're leaving?" he expressed in a soft voice. 

Ichigo was one of the only ones outside of this house that was allowed to know the gist of the plan. 

"It's the only way Sousuke and I can find peace." 

"But why so far away?" 

He had helped the youngster through his most difficult moments, cared for Ichigo more than the boy's own father. Understandably, Ichigo would find this difficult. 

He set aside the artificial bodies for the time being to give his full attention to the orange-haired man. Although Ichigo still looked younger than his age portrayed, the war scars had mentally aged Kurosaki far more than his 25 years of human life. 

"I'm just a flash-step away." 

As soon as he was settled, he would be sure to invite Ichigo over to their new house. 

He held out his arms for the other in an invitation as the youngster stepped into his hold, squeezing his middle so hard as if Kisuke was moving to the other end of the human world, reminiscent of a last goodbye. 

"Any chance in you taking Kon along?" he heard Ichigo mumble into the collar of his yukata, and suddenly like that, a figurative light bulb went on in his head. 

He didn't need to be spiritually present at the square, just physically to keep up appearance. 

"A modified soul, of course!" He broke away from the younger's embrace. "Kurosaki-kun, you're a genius; I could kiss you right now." 

The other furrowed his brows and made a face. "Don't, old man, you're like an uncle for me. A weird perverted uncle, but an uncle nonetheless." 

Urahara was in the midst of putting on his coat, as it dawned on the youngster that he was making motions to leave. "Where are you going? I at least expected a proper goodbye with you treating me to a drink." 

Kisuke put on his hat and gave a vague agreeable sign to that, —spending money wasn't his forte— but maybe he should put in the extra effort for Ichigo. 

"I hold you to that, Kurosaki-kun." 

He first needed to get one of the mod souls from underneath his shop, preferably Kurodo. While at it, he made a detour into the Seireitei. 

Attendants of the Kyouraku estate had let him enter. Not surprising Kisuke, he found Shunsui paying his respect to Ukitake's resting soul on a small altar that was placed in a separate room of the household. 

Kisuke knocked politely to forewarn Shunsui of his visit. 

Kyouraku glanced behind him, nodding at the blond, and before Urahara could show his remorse, Shunsui told him, "You were right, he would be ashamed of me." 

The blond lowered his eyes regretfully. "Please don't say that. I was too blunt; I never wanted you to feel like you've failed. At that moment, I was threatened with losing everything, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He approached the taller man slowly, making his own sort of respectful symbol to Ukitake. "I'm sorry." 

"You don't need to be. It's normal to stand up for one's loved ones. You're openly coming out for something Ju-chan and I never dared to." 

Kisuke glanced at Shunsui's bowed form, and the gentle tearful smile on the Captain Commander suddenly made his own throat dry. 

"Make the most of your new life with your family. Cherish those moments," he advised. 

All Kisuke could do was nod because he already intended to do that. 

The silence that followed was a respectful one in remembrance of the captain of the 13th division. Before Urahara left the Kyouraku estate, Shunsui straightened. "But I must ask, are you going to unshackle Aizen's pressure?" He looked down on Kisuke with a dubious look, the concern more obvious because of his eye patch. 

"Never." 

That was something he had vowed to himself. It's not like he took pleasure in shackling Aizen, —figuratively of course, since physically was a whole other matter— but he wanted Sousuke's full concentration. 

And if the brunet had his powers, there was a chance that that cunning mind would stray again. Keep Aizen focused on the positive things, that was the objective that he was going to keep in mind for the other, to keep Sousuke invested in the development of their future and their children. And not let thoughts such as revenge, hatred, and wrath fester for too long in that pretty head. 

That was the only way to keep Aizen on the right track and under control. 

"Never say never," the Captain Commander replied with a chuckle. 

-0- 

Sousuke's wrists were chained with the help of Kisuke's reiatsu sealing cuffs, giving the impression of real handcuffs. The chain itself was shackled above his head, fastened around a loop that hung from the ceiling, so he was forced to kneel on the floor with his back in a completely upright posture. Not that he could have slackened his body anyways, since he was surrounded by sharp pointed stakes. 

A wrong movement in any direction would instantly pressure him back into position when those stakes threatened to pierce his body. Neither could he attempt to stand up. His calves were encircled by reiatsu tape that stuck to the floor which was impossible to remove without spiritual pressure. 

Apparently he was no longer entitled to his trusted spot in Muken. It was probably deemed too comfortable. 

Sousuke was completely immobilized, his greatest fear. 

He kept his mind at peace through a Zen like state, an escape of some sort, because the Hogyoku could not influence him while this calm. No fretful thoughts were allowed to enter and form a danger to disrupt that balance. 

Since it did not matter what they would do to him, as long as his son was completely free from harm. Children are the easiest leverage to take advantage of someone. 

What was essentially a little bit of secrecy from Urahara had caused an avalanche of hindrances. 

He opened his eyes when he heard a mocking laugh, the guards here were not above delighting him in what their thoughts about Aizen were. The brunet was not isolated from them, unlike his term in Muken. But he could say that he preferred the dark underground there and the accompanying quietness to this verbal abuse and attempts at provocation. 

"You're everything that was wrong with the Soul Society a century ago." The young man that presented himself in a far too confident pose —that announced he came straight out of the academy— was only insulting him from behind the bars, because he felt safe there. 

A century ago, the kid was not even born, and yet he still spewed out false wisdom as if he held all the answers. Though a look at the insignia of the man's clan spoke that he had been born with a privileged stamp, like so many noble children. And hate is a bacterium that festers easily whenever it's fed through parents to their offspring. 

The crest validated his ties to a main branch of a noble house that Sousuke had killed members of in his slaughter of Central 46. 

Sousuke subtly raised an eyebrow in a delicate fashion to express his distaste when the guard spit near his knees. 

"You'll be allowed to say your last words in a couple of hours, and after that, no opposition will deign himself above the law as your body rots in the open for all to see." 

Sousuke stretches his back as best as he could in his tightly fit position, but otherwise gives no indication that the comment bothers him. 

He had nothing to worry about, because Kisuke would come for him. 

His capture had happened so fast; the second he had arrived with Daichi at Gin's apartment the Divine Guards attacked them. Gin had intelligently stayed hidden, because there would have been nothing that he could have done unless he wanted to risk the chance of being apprehended. And who would have contacted Kisuke then? Someone who in such a situation, is the only one with the right knowledge and contacts to get them out of here. 

The blond would not let him rot. All Urahara needed was time; their son was their priority. 

The guard was quick to go on with his patrol when Sousuke's eyes slid closed again. —receiving no reaction could only entertain someone for so long. 

Aizen let himself drift off slightly while concentrating on his heartbeat and trying to synchronize the orb's pulses along with it. 

His retreated peaceful state was eventually broken by the utterance of a kidou spell and the blast it evoked. He could admit that he was never so happy as now to hear the voice of the Shihoin heiress. 

He saw the guards run past him into the direction the noise came from, but he wasn't a witness to the struggle that took place. So, he didn't exactly see his rescuers that is, until one of them finally appeared at his cell door. 

The figure, dressed in a uniform of the Omnitsukido's Executive Militia swept an intriguing look over Sousuke that made the brunet a tad bit unnerved about being fastened, before the black glad form unlocked his cell door and reached for Sousuke’s bindings. 

Aizen instinctively drew back a bit due to the familiarity with which the other approached him. Unless Sousuke himself was the aggressor, he did not like anyone invading his personal space. Still, there was something familiar about the figure that was practically looming over him. 

Then he caught it: the scent of sandalwood mixed with fresh rain, a scent that was unmistakably Kisuke. 

He was about to vocalize that exclamation when Urahara took off his hood, revealing bright grey eyes, —one closed briefly in an acknowledgeable salutation— and swooped down to muffle his speech with a sudden lock of their lips. 

Sousuke couldn't really melt fully into their reunion because he jerked back as one of the stakes scratched against his skin. This was really not the time to slacken his tensed form. 

The blond agreed with a whispered, "We best keep that for later," and started removing the straps of tape. 

"Tell me that our sons are safe." 

Kisuke's eyes glanced back, not immediately answering his frantic question. He even halted in the process of freeing Sousuke for a split second, but the brunet wasn't sure if Kisuke was intentionally aware of it or not. 

When he finally replied, "They're safe." he sounded sincere, at least. 

Once free of his fastenings, he was glad to be able to stretch his limbs. All he needed was a little moment to regain some strength into them because the cramped position had cut off his blood supply. 

With his reiatsu locked and the Hogyoku unable to control any self-healing method, he had to make do with human like recuperations. Though he still declined Kisuke's supportive shoulder. 

Yoruichi appeared from a couple of cells next to his alongside Kira; the guaranteed now ex vice-captain was still reiatsu cuffed but other than that appeared to be unharmed. 

Tracking through the dungeon, Urahara and the Shihoin heiress posed almost as a shield in front of them, catching any attacks dead on and firing off kidou in unison, certain spells binding together to defeat the opposition. 

He wasn't bothered by their teamwork, but about the blatant disregard of Sousuke's skills. Sure, he was far from the super powerful state that he used to be, but being treated like a fragile porcelain vase was not something he would tolerate from anyone. 

It made this irresistible inkling bubble up from within him to fight off that thorough protection to display that he could still defend himself, regardless of reiatsu. 

When one of the prison guards managed to get close to the two in front of him, Sousuke pulled back on Kisuke's shoulder, disrupting the spell he was generating momentarily, just enough so he could get past the figurative wall and slam the prison guard against one of the cells. 

He forced the other guy's hands behind his back and prevented a new cast of kidou. Only, this being still had reiatsu enforced strength, and even if the brunet disrupted one attack, his other hand was easily freed and used to cast off his hado spell instead. 

The spherical spiritual energy sought Aizen out effortlessly, but was warded off by Kisuke, who just had to maneuver himself between them, pushing Sousuke forcefully back with a rise of his spiritual pressure. As if he needed to be saved! 

"Do not insult me!" he told Kisuke with a fierce glower when their attackers were down, for the time being. —since the genial merciful duo didn't use too nefarious spells that would cause long lasting damage. Oh sure a potent charm of memory loss was graciously supplied on the poor unconscious souls, but certainly, nothing that would result in an eternal slumber. 

"I'm protecting the carrier of my children, may I?!" the blond pressured. "In no way am I trying to belittle you. End of conversation." He stated simply to prevent any reaction from Sousuke as he was about to retort. The blond then tugged on Sousuke's wrist, keeping him purposefully close and obedient. 

The disgrace! 

Though he still felt a faint hint of aggravation from the other's obvious protection, it admittedly also brought him a sense of contentment. He was together with their children, one of the most, if not the most important thing that the blond held dear. And that despite all the wrongs he committed against Kisuke, was a display of simple devotion. 

His slightly irritated look stayed on naturally, —with just a raise of an eyebrow he could come across peeved, not his fault but his complexion's— so Kisuke's control caved in, of course. 

Urahara signaled to a guard that still stood unaware, —to his creeping pursuers— with his back to them. 

He should not feel offended that Kisuke would pick someone that stood alone, as far as they could see, because the blond was clearly doing it as a favor to appease him. 

When he found out it was the guy who had spit near him, the headlock he kept the guard in, tightened instinctively, cutting off his air supply. —after he had successfully dazed the guy by knocking his head against a nearby wall— he was just about ready to snap that noble neck had Kisuke not given out a clear, "Aizen, let go. No unnecessary casualties are needed; they're just doing their job." 

Yes, under command of the Soul King. 

"Just a little brain damage," he assured the blond, as Kisuke took a swift shunpo in his direction, negating his choking hold by slacking the guy's posture with a dreamless sleep; some sort of self-invented healing kidou that procured the same result as his charm of memory loss, albeit a little more drastic as far as the 'loss' went. 

"I could not resist," he tells the blond apologetically upon seeing the other's disgruntled look. 

Upon reaching the exit of the prison, Kyouraku stood at the door leading to the outside. He greeted the Captain Commander with a nod and a call of his name, receiving a similar reaction back, while the other gives Kira a friendly pat on the back accompanied with a speech about the importance of choosing for his loved one. 

And before opening a Senkaimon, he turned to Kisuke. "I give you ten minutes max until I alert the Seireitei." 

The blond nods, steering Sousuke along through the portal. 

"What does he mean by that?" he asked Urahara as soon as they were back in Tessai's house, and saw Kira fly into Gin's hold. 

"A mod soul is currently impersonating me as a way to keep up appearances. And as soon as your escape is known, the first one they will come after is me. And the mod soul's absence of my personal reiatsu will give it away." 

He gave the blond a questioning look. "You are going back?" and received a nod of affirmation, while Urahara offhandedly told Gin, "We will keep in contact." 

Sousuke was all but rushed down into the garage, where Tessai was waiting in the passenger seat of a car. The blond opened one of the doors of the backseat, but Sousuke prevented himself from being shoved into it without a proper explanation and demanded the other to answer. 

The twins were both in a car seat, all fastened up and protected with their reiatsu sealing blankets. 

"They have Benihime; I need her back, Sousuke." 

"We can do it without her," he told Kisuke carefully, desperation masked by a gentle smile, because he didn’t want to risk another one of them falling into the hands of the Seireitei. 

"No; she's a part of my soul." 

It is a serious matter to most Shinigami, not something he could acquaint himself with when he never had any soul connection with Kyouka Suigetsu. 

"Besides, we stand hopeless, with no chance of ever finding peace without a zanpakuto." 

"If you would unleash my powe-" 

"Don't!" said Kisuke in a rather stern voice that left no room for argument, "ever ask me that again." 

He was kissed, but it felt more like an aggressive push than anything else whilst the other simultaneously manages to buckle Sousuke up. 

The brunet captures Kisuke's cheeks, temporarily diverting the blond's nervous attention to him. Sousuke can see in it in those light grey eyes and the forced crinkle they make. "Don't be too long." 

And receives a whispered, but visibly calmer, "I will try my best." 

He pulled the other closer for a proper lip lock and Kisuke's tongue responds languidly against his own, patiently sliding along the organ in his mouth. 

"Kisuke, we need to go." 

The voice that he was so relieved to hear a moment ago only ignites irritation now. 

Kisuke gave him one last gentle peck on the lips before replying to Yoruichi, "Are Gin and Kira already on their way?" 

Sousuke doesn't hear her give out any verbal agreement, but it's obvious by Kisuke's suddenly returning haste. He is given a phone. "Only to be used in emergencies," before the door is promptly shut after Kisuke ruffled Koichi's tanned blond hair. 

It feels rushed and he doesn't want to think about the fact that it could very well be the last time because he reassures himself that Kisuke knows what he's doing. 

Still it makes him afraid, a feeling that before the blond didn't mean a thing for him, and that was irrevocably the result of letting Kisuke into his life. He used to have perfect control of his emotions; there were no real sentiments allowed when he felt empty overall and let a façade dictate much of his life. 

And this newfound sentimentality makes him incapacitated; now he has a lot to lose, he was no longer the invisible God he depicted himself as anymore. Before he was fearless, now —he takes a glance at Daichi whose brooding gaze is locked on him, and turns to look at the other twin, who seems inquisitively fascinated by the passing objects on the road. He combs a hand through the baby hairs of Daichi— his twins were becoming more important than his own person. 

He was becoming needy of Kisuke's presence, which is why it made him so furious that the other thought he needed protection, because he almost doesn't recognize himself anymore. 

After a two-hour drive, Tessai stops at an ordinary hotel. 

Sousuke takes the two baby seats in a hand, slinging the diaper bag and other goods over his opposite shoulder, and declines Tessai's offer to carry something. 

Just because he admitted to no longer a partaker of solipsism, did absolutely not mean that he was in need of being coddled. 

But Tessai insisted anyways, helping him at the front desk and into the hotel room. 

He finds Tessai's sudden consideration a tad bit disconcerting, although it is without a doubt by Kisuke's incitement. 

"Is this not the part where you threaten me because you fear I might hurt Kisuke?" he said as the other was about to leave. 

"I already warned you about that." 

"Be assured, by hurting Kisuke, I would hurt myself, and I'm not a masochist." Unlike their last verbal brawl, Sousuke has no intention of provoking Tessai. 

Because it is something he can no longer deny; the truth. 

-0- 

The second Kisuke sets foot back on the grounds of the Seireitei, the alarm goes off. 

He could reach Kurodo through his cell just in time to decide on a place to switch back: get back into his gigai and put the little ball of the mod soul into his pocket, —perhaps the mod soul wasn't exactly needed, but he wanted to personally see Sousuke off as opposed to handing it over to his friend— before he's apprehended the second he comes out of the bathroom stall. 

He cooperates easily and lets himself be led into an interrogation room, where he's made to wait, as Central 46 has yet to decide on what needs to be done with him. 

Kisuke takes out his fan, nonchalantly fluttering the paper object in a way to avoid twiddling his thumbs. It was that or looking at the head of Central 46. The guy was openly biased against him: he insulted his children the last time they sat in the same room, not something Urahara had forgotten. 

When the man receives a letter, decorated with the royal stamp, he grins Kisuke's way before starting to read it. 

Apparently, a hearing was no longer needed, the king himself was going to decide his fate. 

It should make him concerned, but throughout the other's silent reading, the noble's smirk gradually disappears. 

The letter is put aside, and Kisuke closes his fan in sudden apprehension. 

"You are pardoned," the man says with a lot of disdain. 

"Aha! the mercy of his majesty. Can I get my zanpakuto back?" He shoos away the guards' hands that were placed on his shoulders during the interrogation. He can finally get out of here and back to Sousuke as fast as possible. 

"You did free him," replied the head of nobility, although it remained unclear if it was a quote from out of the letter or his own opinion. 

"A bit hard to do when I resided on the square during the escape." Kisuke feigns a look of innocence, but it was easily interpreted as such when the other's expression betrays that he didn't believe a word of it. 

"You always find a way." 

"Oh, a compliment." Kisuke smiles cheerfully, inevitably worsening the man's bland stare. "Glad we depart on better terms." He salutes. 

"You won't keep on laughing." The noble halts his actual exit with those words, picks up the letter again and says in an incredibly satisfied tone, "It's your son that will pay the price eventually." 

He was about to go back in the noble's direction when the guards warily lay a hand on their zanpakuto, and decides on a glare at the other's, "Enjoy the happy times whilst you can." 

Urahara's free now; he shouldn't give in to that provocation. And like the noble said; he always finds a way. 

-0- 

Sousuke shushes the small murmurs of Daichi, rocking the baby seat lightly to keep the little one calm. Koichi was sleeping soundly, traveling had the curious twin completely tired out. 

He was a bit apprehensive of them making any noise. The brunet dislikes anyone obviously stepping in to help him, but on his own like this, without a decent weapon to defend himself was worse. 

Though this is how it was going to be from now on, he always thought that he couldn't be more dependent on Urahara than he already was, but, now that the Seireitei went after them, it became clear that there was nothing he could do alone anymore. 

He remains constantly on edge for every little thing; not being able to sense any entity was like taking a step into complete darkness. 

Every step in the hallway could potentially be someone from Soul Society. Every conversation beyond this room that went on too long seemed suspicious, because he can't seem to shake off the feeling that he wasn't exactly alone. 

A knock resounds a couple of doors down from his room, and he stood up. The mistrust strengthens when the knocking sound is repeated, only closer now. 

Sousuke quietly made his way to the door, trying to listen in on the mysterious visitor. 

A little later the room next to his receives the same treatment; it's obvious by now that it was no room service. 

He held his breath when the being's footsteps stop outside his door. Sousuke briefly glances at his twins, but they were thankfully quiet for once, and lets out his breath when the steps retreat. 

It was nothing… 

Not a moment later, Daichi loses his pacifier, and bellows out in rage at losing his comfort. 

He could take no more than a couple of steps towards his child before the room was forcefully invaded by the being that crept around outside. 

Sousuke immediately took up a defensive stance in front of his twins, having every intention of doing all in his power to keep them safe. While the intruder's —a member of the 12th division, judging by his lab coat— intent was exactly the opposite. 

The guy took out his zanpakuto and says, "This is going to be so easy," before making a swing at him with the weapon. 

But it's clear that the member of the 12th division is holding back —meant as an insult or not— he could manage to block the other by grabbing a hold of the hilt of the zanpakuto. The slash in his shoulder when the blade makes contact couldn't be evaded, but it was merely collateral damage in comparison to being slashed in half or being left unable to defend his children. 

Besides, it created leverage to grab a hold of the guy's wrist, deflecting the weapon so it isn't grinding into his arm or direction anymore, and if possible disarm him. Not that the member of the 12th division was going to continue keeping Sousuke's reiatsu-less state into consideration, at least not to Sousuke's advantage. 

Any punch or kick in order to leave the other defenseless was easily repelled, the guy simply reveled in overpowering him. 

He was carelessly flung aside with reiatsu, with just a raise of the other's pressure. —while the guy would have been no more than a nuisance if Sousuke had his powers, right now, he has as much difficulty with him as if he was a guy of Isshin's caliber. 

A bakudo spell encircles his limbs and ceases all Sousuke's movements while the member of the 12th division approaches the baby seats on the hotel bed. 

"Which of the two is the one with parts of the Hogyoku inside of him?" he asks, tracing the protective blankets with the outer edge of his sword. 

Daichi was wailing by then, as his twin rouses from his nap, unbeknownst to the danger the stranger poses. 

The guy glances at him, expecting his answer, though Sousuke remains silent. 

How can he possibly even attempt to contact Kisuke when he can't even take a hold of his phone? 

"Maybe you'll answer quicker if I give you a good reason to," he taunts, glancing back at the infants, and raises his zanpakuto, 

"No!" he feels his own reiatsu begin to simmer, while the Hogyoku beats wildly. The forces inside of him collide, trying to break free from Kisuke's cuffs. 

It was impossible to keep calm in such a situation, and, on top of that, he was beginning to feel light headed due to the conflicted powers inside of his body. 

His cry turns into a yell when the sword was brought down unto the baby seat. It feels like his whole system shuts down at the exact moment that Koichi is attacked. 

"Your boyfriend is prepared," the member of the 12th division remarks amusedly. 

The seat was still completely intact after the impact, but Koichi had taken quite a shock and the little one's cries join his brother's. 

"Do you miss him yet?" he taunts further, pushing the handle of the seat down and starts to unfold the blanket. Afterwards he raises his sword a second time. 

For a moment, it seems to Sousuke as if he had managed to dispel the bakudo, but the man's kidou simply wavered because it was too high of a number to effectively keep up during a longer period of time. Especially when it was expelled without an incantation. 

Sousuke moves instantly, as if he could use flash-step, and halts the other from stabbing Koichi by grabbing a hold of the blade itself. The more pressure the guy uses, the stronger it cuts into his flesh. 

The other chuckles at his clear struggle in keeping the zanpakuto away from his child. But that wasn't the only battle he was fighting; a struggle was happening inside of him as well. The Hogyoku was putting immense pressure on his reiatsu system that couldn't find a way out. "You are worth nothing anymore." And because of his miserable state, he's simply pulled up by the arm and literally flung outside of the window, before everything turns black. -0- 

Kisuke enters the room that holds all confiscated zanpakuto, of course in tow of two guards and Yoruichi. 

All of the swords were put in a sheath and locked with a special mechanism, so only the recently freed ones can be taken out of the key lock. The keys are most likely in possession of the king or a high ranked member of Central 46. 

Directly upon entrance he had felt not only Benihime, but another force trying to connect with him, almost attempting to probe his mind. He would have come up with the idea that it was Kyouka Suigetsu, were it not for Sousuke's and Kisuke's disconnected bonds. 

There had absolutely not been any intertwinement of each other's reiatsu except for the two lives that had grown in Sousuke, but besides that, Sousuke's pressure was completely barricaded off. 

Furthermore, Aizen and Kyouka Suigetsu were not soul bound either. 

But the pull towards him worsened. 

A voice called out to him, and since he was the only who heard it, it could only be Aizen's zanpakuto. 

Was the sword trying to manipulate him? 

He needed to tread with caution, the zanpakuto remained dangerous. It's not that it could feed him any more illusions, but he was slightly afraid that it could influence him in some way. 

When he decided to follow the invisible lead, it did indeed turn out to be Kyouka Suigetsu. It was still tightly locked off, but he could touch the sword, which he did as a precaution to ward off any possible illusion, to make sure that the zanpakuto's powers were dismantled. 

But upon touching the handle, he ended up in exactly that which he wanted to avoid. 

The blond looked around him, and as far as he could see, the terrain was surrounded by huge walls. And where the stone walls ended, darkness took over. The terrain itself was vacant, save for one single large shrub with purple flowers. 

Not really knowing the reason he was brought here, Kisuke took a couple of steps in that direction, seeing that there must be a purpose for that one object that wasn't merely a shade. And the closer he got, the shadow that appeared next to the plant was a ghostly apparition, that eventually turned into a life-like silhouette. 

When he recognized it as Sousuke's younger self, he immediately concluded that it must be some sort of inner world. Aizen looked no more than nine years old. 

The blond vaguely called out to the kid, but Aizen didn't seem to hear him. In fact, Kisuke himself must be some sort of shadow because he couldn't see the outline of his own body. 

The kid stretched out his arm towards the plant before Kisuke saw a butterfly flutter in the direction of Sousuke's outstretched limb. When the insect landed, the image distorted and changed into a classroom, no doubt of the Shino’ Academy. 

Aizen sat alone until a group of Shinigami enclosed the brunet's desk. There was no sound, but there didn't need to be; the others' behaviors betrayed they weren't there for some good-natured banter. 

One of them, the one whom portrayed himself as the leader, was clearly tormenting Sousuke. 

Kisuke thought the boy looked familiar with those coal black eyes, but he didn't linger on the leader when he saw Isshin between them, clearly joining the rest; his friend seemed in no way troubled over ridiculing Sousuke. 

It was never just words. 

One of them pushed the brunet. 

It was more than the light teasing that Kisuke was guilty of in his own childhood. 

The image changed again, and he was back on the concrete terrain. But it wasn't Sousuke's childlike form that captured his attention, nor the butterfly that was perched on the brunet's wrist, but the Royal clan emblem in the background. 

He glanced back at Sousuke. Did Aizen have ties to the Soul King? His enormous reiatsu could be explained through that, but who would dare to goad a member of the Royal clan? 

Kisuke blinks as the butterfly is suddenly pierced by an arrow; its wings mangled by the sharp weapon. Sousuke's face turns to Kisuke suddenly, as if he was looking for the culprit. Urahara follows that gaze to come face to face with the same kid that deemed himself as the leader of the little group of tormentors. 

And this time taking a good look at the kid, he recognizes him as a descendant of the Soul King's brother. Someone that attended the academy while Kisuke and Sousuke were kids. 

The image distorts again, and the blond must do everything to not look away when he's present at Sousuke's rape. The brunet's wrists are fastened with reiatsu sealing barriers, the same for his legs that are also being held apart by two Shinigami. 

The one between Sousuke's spread legs is someone Kisuke defended, whilst judging by his actions, he was responsible all along for violating the brunet. He's ashamed in Isshin's place. 

The same boy that took the lead in the previous two images was shielding Kisuke's view of Sousuke's expression, but there was no imminent need for the blond to see that. 

The inner world suddenly crumbles and he is left standing in the entrance of the room of locked zanpakuto, as if he just entered. 

"…-re you okay?" he glances at Yoruichi's worried face. "I've been calling your name a few times, is everything alright?" He nods vaguely. 

Isshin… and he had thought that he knew his best friend better than Sousuke… 

The brunet had been telling the truth all this time. 

He follows the guards to Benihime without any other voices creeping into his thoughts and luring him in. 

But it had been more than a hallucination, of that he was sure. It might have been the only reality that Kyouka Suigetsu had ever expelled. 

After that, he parts ways with Yoruichi, tucking Benihime safely into the sheath at his hip. It wouldn't be a farewell with Yoruichi; she could continue to count on him, the same way Kisuke relied on her. 

"If there's anything I can ever do for you…" 

She smiles and slowly disengages from his embrace. "Just see that you're out of here." 

He nods, but walks past the portal she opens. "I just want to take a last walk around the grounds, for old time's sake." 

She gives him a look. "Kisuke-" 

"I'll be fine," he waves with his fan cheerfully. 

Once out of sight, he changes course to the 12th division. 

He looks at the building he founded and reminisces on the time and money he had stuck into the facility to erect a new division from the ground up: a build that had cost a lot of difficulty to convince Central 46 on conceding with its construction. 

It was well worth the effort in the end, —again more effort on Yoruichi's end to convince them— but he succeeded, though he eventually lost it due to the one he's giving up everything for. 

But that didn't bother him as much as he thought it would, because the division was long since not his anymore. His name wasn't used anymore; it was Mayuri's facility now. 

But that wouldn't do. 

He wasn't going to let Mayuri live off his success. Kurotsuchi had destroyed enough already. 

Kisuke steps into the facility and directly goes for the hallway that holds rooms that can't be entered without authorized admission. —or the ones commonly known as inhibitor of hazardous materials— If Mayuri loved blowing things up—including households— he was going to have a blast with this one. 

"Urahara-san, I thought I told you last time that you weren't allowed to wander the halls alone anymore." 

"I know." He continues his exploration nonetheless. 

"Well," Akon sighs exaggeratedly, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the property at once." he says in that monotonous voice of his. And grabs a hold of Kisuke's arm to halt his strides. 

"I understand." Kisuke changes his behavior to cooperation instantly, giving off the vibe that he was going to nicely walk out, while Akon types in the code to gain access to one of the doors. 

It wasn't exactly the room he was initially going for, but the outcome would be just as explosive. 

Before the door can fully close, he activates a bakudo spell that switches the unsuspecting lieutenant with his place and secures the interior instantly. In doing so, he blocks off the other from trying to enter the room with him again. 

Technically, Akon had entered already: the badge wouldn't allow him to enter twice —a form of security. 

He hears Akon inform others when he turns on the intercom and advises him, "Clear the immediate environment for at least a two-mile radius, one and a half will probably do, but just to be sure," which would include the whole 12th division, —the S.R.D.I. and barracks, even Mayuri's office would not be spared— but would not be limited to the division itself. 

Kisuke then turns off the intercom, ignoring Akon's attempts to reason with him. And because he wants to avoid unnecessary casualties, he aids the lieutenant by activating the alarm. A shrill sound that rivals the Seireitei's own alarm. 

He proceeds to put on a gas mask before disconnecting certain tubes and wires that were normally better left connected, unless you wanted to risk being blown up. The loud thumps and minor spells being used to force down the fireproof door were not going to cut it to gain entry. Such a door needed at least a hado of number 60 to be effective, but in combination with the explosive materials in the lab, they would only succeed in helping Kisuke. 

He contacts Akon a last time via the intercom to warn him that in thirty seconds he would set everything aflame, but by twenty seconds there was already no response anymore from the other side. 

Urahara prepares his escape route with a kidou that would transport him safely away before triggering the ignition of the flammable lab. 

Kisuke would be lying when he said that seeing the building blow up wouldn't disturb him at all, —it after all remained his own invention— but the satisfaction he granted from knowing he blocked Mayuri's plans was more than worth it. 

He shunpo'd his way to Akon, that stood like many bystanders to the sidelines, watching the explosion happening, determining what would be the best way to extinguish it, without kindling it further. 

"Is that Mayuri?" he asks the other who was currently on some sort of phone and grabs the mobile device from him, midway into Akon's hurried conversation with the other party. 

Akon seemed paler than usual. 

"Greetings Mayuri, I wanted to leave you a proper farewell gift, since you so kindly destroyed my traitor lover's palace. Wait!" he interrupted Kurotsuchi's expected death threats. "I'll take a picture; I'm sure that you're going to have a blast with it." 

He did exactly as he promised, giving the mobile back to a still deathly pale Akon and left the Seireitei as fast as possible because something like that would not be simply pardoned. He was about to leave for Sousuke's hiding place anyway when he received a call from Sousuke. 

-0- 

When Aizen came to, he didn't waste a second to contact Kisuke; he hadn't even hesitated because this went further than pride. 

The twins were in danger and if he didn't decide anything soon, he would probably regret the result of his mistake for eternity. 

However, he couldn't say more than a few words before he saw the member of the 12th division dangle the baby seats over the balcony of his hotel room. 

"If you don't tell me which of the two has the Hogyoku, you'd better prepare to catch them." 

He hung up immediately and stood up, even if everything seemed to hurt. "Please don't," he pleaded calmly, realizing that aggravating the man would probably endanger them further. 

"I need an answer now," the one above growled. 

He didn't dare stall until Kisuke would arrive and pointed to Daichi, the baby seat in the man's right hand. 

That the other couldn't feel the difference between his children's pressure struck Sousuke as odd. Even without being able to sense reiatsu, he could feel his children's presence. 

The guy seemed to set down the two seats, busying himself behind the railing, before he swung one of the seats over the ledge. 

Sousuke's whole body worked on autopilot at that exact moment because it seemed that everything stopped for a second. He caught the seat on time, only to find out that it was empty. 

He glares furiously at the member of the 12th division, who was laughing at his misery. "You're not the only one that can fool people." 

The brunet was beginning to feel light headed again, due to the Hogyoku's rapid pulses that he could almost feel beating against his ribcage. At the same time, his reiatsu truly felt like pressure that was bubbling up, pressure that couldn't find an outlet anywhere. 

The guy shunpo'd down on the ground next to him and handed over Koichi before leaving with Daichi. 

Aizen put Koichi quickly into his seat, unbuckled and unguarded, but he couldn't let the man get away with his other son. 

The member of the 12th division hadn't fully turned his back when Sousuke threw himself at the guy. He would have broken the man's arms had the other not used his reiatsu to free himself from Aizen's grip. 

Feeling his hold slip, Sousuke catches on to the handle of the baby seat instead, trying to tug the seat out of the other's hands. He sees one of the guy's hands begin to form some signs, and before it is well signaled out, Aizen can plant his foot in the 12th division's member's abdomen, effectively disrupting his spell, and loosening his grip on Daichi's seat. 

But the extra use of force has the brunet staggering with the seat, and he needs a minute to arrange the belt that's almost wrapped around his child's neck because of the angle in which he was held. 

And that turns out to be a big mistake when he feels a zanpakuto lodge itself into the middle of his chest. He looks down, assessing the injury, and sees the tip of the sword peek out. And he guesses that it must have punctured his lung, since breathing suddenly takes the greatest effort. 

He tries hard not to bleed all over his son when the zanpakuto retracts. The flesh around the impaled wound begins to corrode. 

"And that is only my shikai," he seems to hear the guy say somewhere far off in the background and thinks it must be one of the last things he'll ever hear, as a voice he would recognize from afar chants, "Inquisition of the Crimson Princess' of the Doors of Avalokitesvara." 

Kisuke saw the eyes of the member of the 12th division widen at the sight of Benihime, which was a reaction that she got the few times he had used her in another's presence. 

"You touched what's mine, and consequently Benihime's, and let me tell you; unlike me, she's not the forgiving type," he told the guy while Kisuke stopped before Sousuke's bowed over kneeling form. 

He activates a force field around their crying children and strokes a thumb over Sousuke's cheek, momentarily stopping the brunet's desperate gasps. "Shh, you're going to be okay." 

The blond shouldn't have left Sousuke alone for that long; Aizen was seen as an easy target now. 

"My bankai's special ability is that it can restructure anything. The cost though in any of Benihime's regenerations is that it works like a puppet that's connected to strings: someone always has to be on the other end." It didn't necessarily have to be Kisuke himself, though it remained the most practical. 

He gave her the command and warned Sousuke that it was going to hurt; the act of restoring any wound wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. Benihime wasn't merciful enough to do anything under anesthetic. 

The guy opposite him dared to laugh when he managed to evade the stitching that reached for him. 

Urahara chuckled back, "You better watch every step you make, because she won't let you escape." 

The other's foolish retreated steps had locked the stitching that laid awaiting behind the guy. 

The second Sousuke and the member of the 12th division were connected, Kisuke commanded a technique that would swap the connected parties' health, transferring any wound, even the smallest blister or scar with its counter partner. 

Kisuke felt Sousuke clutch the hem of his haori in his hands, shivering violently while a bluish discoloration began to surface over his skin. Seeing the beginning symptoms of a respiratory arrest, the blond upped the surge of his reiatsu through Sousuke's cuffs, shushing the Hogyoku's forceful strain it put on Sousuke's pressure system, while staying cautious himself of the fact that for this kind of restorative ability, he needed full potential of his reiatsu. This was the reason why the swapping technique is something he rarely uses, if at all. It's something he needed to do in the beginning of a fight. 

It didn't take long for the wounds to transfer, and the member of the 12th division to end up on his knees in a similar position like Sousuke, who slowly regained his color. 

This ability left no scars or any marks visible, simply freshly healed skin, at least for the one who was at the better end of Benihime's mercy. 

Kisuke left the guy in his gasping state, knowing death wouldn't wait too long with a wound so close to the binding chain; the gaping wound had enlarged quite a bit by then. And he wouldn't be able to hold it as long as Sousuke, who at least had the Hogyoku that kept him forcefully alive, in whatever state he was left in. 

He was sure that Sousuke would attempt some sort of revenge on the bleeding guy, but the brunet's gaze was locked on his. There was a look in the other's eyes that he couldn't determine, so he left Sousuke alone for a minute to get himself together again. 

The blond in the meantime covered his children properly again with their safety blanket and eventually helped the silent brunet stand up before leading him to the nearest subway station. After all, he had foreseen being followed into this city. This had merely been an intermediate stop, nothing more. 

He let the brunet take a place on the only seat available, also letting him silently stare out of the window and come to terms with all that just happened. 

Well on their ride that lead to their new beginning, he called out to the other. 

"It will be just us now," he reassured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a big thank you to the massive show of support on the last chapter. So I decided to post an update of Rehabilitate a little earlier than normal. -kind of as compensation for the previous long wait.  
> Next Monday expect an update of Hope and the Monday thereafter of Your wish is my command. Or maybe the other way around, I'm not sure yet.   
> And don't worry, Rehabilitate is far from over!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kisuke tried not to cringe throughout the tour the real estate agent was giving them. For the price that the agency was renting it, even Urahara expected more. 

Buying another house wasn't going to be an option either, the Urahara shop still wasn't sold; although, it only had been on the market for two weeks. Yoruichi and Tessai were taking care of it. —something Urahara would still rather do himself, but he needed to let it go. 

Karakura town is a city he should stay away from. Besides, renting would inevitably be easier when they were only looking to inhabit the place temporarily. The reishi concentration here was mild, but someone could still be lurking around the corner. 

And so they were currently hunting houses to rent. The hotel rooms were taking a huge bite out of his allotted money each night as it was, his budget couldn't sustain that. They were going to have to downsize everything, it was guaranteed to be a struggle, more so on Aizen's part of course, but they would manage. They were more than ready to live on their own. 

But actually looking for a place was harder than Urahara had remembered it to be. The maximum rent Kisuke was going for didn't exactly leave them with a lot of nice possibilities. The houses —no apartments because Sousuke was firmly against that idea— were too old or had too many shortcomings. 

When a property was finally considered by his majesty, Sousuke and Kisuke weren't evaluated as possible candidates, it was always something. 

The first agency had scrutinized Kisuke's foreign appearance and had —not with as many words, but it was obvious— told them that the landlord would rather not rent to non-Japanese citizens, since she had had problems in the past with foreigners. 

The blond could have easily proved her wrong by showing his —fake— ID, but Sousuke didn't take as lightly to her blatant rejection. 

Needless to say that after some harsh words, it was best to move on to the next place. 

The next house that seemed passable to live in had also turned into a refusal to rent to them. The guy had looked questionably at their children and at Kisuke and Sousuke before asking, "Are you a couple?" 

That was also a huge problem in the real world. The agent though, had stayed respectful, but had omitted the main refusal to tell them that their landlord would rather not rent to a couple that had little kids. As if they were heathens that would destroy the house... Of course, Kisuke understood easily enough that that was not the real reason. 

From then on, Kisuke had decided to drop his expectations. 

The tiny, two bedroomed house that was situated into the middle of a busy city, was judging by Aizen's expression, certainly not the brunet's cup of tea. Okay, the tatami had stains that Urahara would rather not hear the backstory of. There was no bathtub and the second bedroom couldn't really be called a bedroom, it wouldn't be big enough to fit two single kids' beds. Not that the twins were in imminent need of that. But, their two cribs would likely cramp the room already. And the only place that was supplied with a heater was the main room, small kitchenette included. 

"I leave you to it for a couple of minutes." the agent told him. 

Although, Urahara could anticipate how the negotiation with Aizen would go. The brunet had subtly shook his head during the tour whenever Kisuke looked his way, making his inclination rather clear. 

He made his way to Sousuke, whom had Daichi already buckled up in his stroller in the genkan, and Koichi perched on his hip. 

"No." Sousuke said firmly as Kisuke opened his mouth. But it could very well have been an answer to their son. Koichi was trying everything to be put down on the ground, including leaning over Sousuke's arm that was secured around the kid's middle. 

"Sousuke, we've been on the search for at least twelve days now, and each day we inspect more than three houses." 

"You are not going to give up so soon." commanded the other. 

Seeing Sousuke begin to get visibly irritated by their son's fervent squirming, Kisuke took Koichi's blanket from out of the bag that was slung over the stroller's handle. But the kid threw it promptly on the ground. "If you're expecting the greatest luxury, then you can forget it for the maximum rental price I've set. I can't afford you a palace Sousuke." 

"Have I requested that?" replied the other in a tone that couldn't hide his disgruntled state anymore. Sousuke bend down to grab a hold of the little one's comforter as Koichi's protests worsened when he was close to his goal. 

Kisuke took their squirming little ball of energy into his arms, practicing the kid's steps by holding him around the middle, hopefully tiring him out that way. 

"Kisuke, the tatami..." he heard Sousuke complain lightly as soon as Koichi's cushioned feet made contact with the floor. Their crème colored onesies were forbidden from getting dirty, but in Kisuke's opinion, kids needed to be able to go wild. 

"I can fix that if we rent the place." he told the other in an audible whisper, but low enough so the agent couldn't hear him talking about changing the property. 

The brunet sighed. "I really do not want to." 

"It is just temporarily, as soon as we've lived here for a while without abnormal occurrences, we will be able to look for something a little more pricey." since breaking off the agreement with the landlord prematurely would bring its own costs. 

The brunet made a noise of discontentment but nodded in approval, albeit forced. 

"Excellent, I'll go talk to the agent, can you help Koichi?" But as soon as Sousuke took over, the kid was perched on a hip, off of the dirty floor and squirming fervently in the other's hold again. 

Kisuke glanced over the sheet of paper that the agent had given him. "Once you have all the required documents, you can sent it back to our e-mail address." she said, pointing at the aforementioned e-mail. 

Apparently, it wasn't going to be any easier once they passed the recommendation state. The landlord would ultimately be the one to choose between all the candidates. 

"Validation of income of at least three months." Kisuke muttered once he and Sousuke made a stop somewhere for some lunch. 

The brunet continued to rock the stroller lightly while staring at him. "And this is a problem because?" 

"Because up until now I had been self-employed, meaning one of us is going to have to get a job to even be considered somewhere as a tenant." of course Sousuke had worked in his shop for more than three months, but the money Sousuke earned wouldn't be valued as a worthy income to rent any apartment. 

So this meant three more months —if not more because job hunting could very well be just as difficult— in a hotel room... Sousuke no doubt wouldn't mind, but for that period of time they would have to look for a hotel with no stars, something a little less fancy. 

"I actually do not mind, it's a change of scenery." 

Sousuke's interest seemed piqued, but Aizen being the main wage earner would not be a smart idea. 

"Sousuke, the human world expects certain qualities. With no experience, or diplomas, you'll start at the bottom." and that is something that Aizen would not be able to handle. Working under any sort of authority was a definite ingredient for disaster. Aizen was not capable of reforming... 

"Well as I said, I do not mind." 

Luckily, he knew Sousuke better than that. "You'll get the lowest paying jobs, that requires dirty work." those would be adaptations that Aizen would eventually grow tired of, and it probably wouldn't take that long either. 

"You think I am incapable of doing it, you think I design myself above such jobs, you have no faith in me whatsoever." 

The blond more or less nodded in affirmation, while feeding the twins each a piece of plum in the meantime, so he could avoid Sousuke's fiery stare. 

"I have enough faith in you to drop everything for you, but we have to be realistic." 

"You can always create certain certificates for me." There you had it already... Those kind of alterations were the kind that Kisuke was not keen on forging. Since it would be easily debunked if Sousuke couldn't realize any employer's expectations. 

It was just too risky. They needed a regular job, a stability of some sort. 

"Well in between I can still follow some courses." Sousuke suggested. 

"The point of having a job is not to give out all of the money as soon as you got it in your hands." 

The other put down his cup of tea with more force than was necessary and the porcelain clattered loudly. "Why are you so against the idea of me doing anything?" 

He wasn't suppressing Sousuke in any way shape or form, except the cuffs. He just knew the outcome of Sousuke doing anything that was commonly known as something beneath his notice. He would rather avoid all the unnecessary struggle. 

"Besides, what makes you think that you're better off than me?" 

"Because I have a Master in Biochemical Engineering." Attained in a far past while Isshin attended the university of Medicine and Health Sciences. The blond dared to look at his lover who looked practically livid by then. 

"Is there something you haven't done?!" 

Kisuke chuckled amusedly but when the other's expression didn't brighten at all, he cleared his throat. "With my certificate, I'll be able to find a job a little easier than you, and a guaranteed higher income." 

The brunet feigned the act of ignoring him, investing all of his attention on their children. When he stopped the rocking of the stroller and Kisuke made attempts to shush Daichi's discontented whines, Sousuke snapped at him, "Stop contradicting everything I say or do. When I forbid our children of something, you just have to go and allow it anyway." 

"I'm not trying to belittle you at all, you will have loads to do at home: taking care of our kids-" that was apparently a poor choice of wording because Sousuke interrupted him mid speech. 

"That is what you want, isn't it?!" he looked questionably at the other. "You want me obedient, completely at your service, like some woman." it was hatefully spewed out while Kisuke didn't exactly understand the other's problem. Did it all have to do with dependency again? 

"Oh come on Sousuke, aren't you overreacting a little bit? And really, staying at home, taking care of kids; a woman's job? We're long since past the age that treated the opposite sex like a lesser entity." 

"Still, you want me at home." 

Because it would be the safest for now. Kisuke couldn't bring Benihime with him to work, seeing the cane, his future employer would no doubt ask questions about the necessity. He clearly wasn't disabled in any way, and they were really in no position to demand extras while on the lookout for a job. And not unimportant: Benihime could stay at home with Sousuke, guarding his lover and their offspring while Kisuke could still depend on his reiatsu. It was simply a win-win situation. 

"If you think I'm going to play as your housewife, think again." his livid stare was accompanied by a just as furious sounding tone. 

"Why are you acting like I offended you? Is taking care of our kids such a bother?" 

The brunet shoved Kisuke's hand away that was reaching for the handle, but despite the other's obvious annoyance, the blond took over on the rocking motions anyways to keep Daichi content. 

Sousuke sighed expressively, as if the weight of the known worlds was put on his shoulders. 

Kisuke wouldn't be able to stop that kind of behavior, Aizen was who he was and it was impossible to change someone. That didn't mean that he was going to keep on tolerating Sousuke's unruly behavior any longer either. 

"When you tried to convince me on trying for a baby, do I need to remind you that I told you explicitly that I would be too busy to take care of any children," 

Aizen looked indignantly his way, "I thought we stopped trying to blackmail each-" 

"It's not blackmail, it's your own promise, since you told me that you'll be the one to take care of our kids." That of course did not mean that Aizen needed to be the sole caretaker of their twins, because Urahara loved spending time with them as much as taking care of them. 

It was just solely a non-permanent, but safe arrangement. Fourteen days out of the claws of Soul Society had surprisingly been peaceful and he would like to keep it that way. He didn't want to risk their kids becoming traumatized in the process. The incident with the Soul King kidnapping Daichi, and Sousuke being attacked by the member of the 12th division was more than enough to disrupt such fragile minds. 

It was in their kids' best interest to play it safe. 

Aizen stayed silent for awhile, not really giving him an indication that he had heard Kisuke's statement. Their lunch became their main focus. Before the brunet finally replied, sounding at least calmer, —and likely more willing to listen to Urahara. 

"Well, why don't we look for job offers together then? Maybe there's a decent paying job that requires no prior skills nor any certificates of any kind." the brunet finished with a charming smile. 

"Unless you're looking to go into the porn industry, I doubt it." The charming smile wavered, making place for the livid stare once more. "However, we'll look into it together." If Aizen didn't want to take his word, he would be presented with the facts. 

It's like the brunet stubbornly refused to believe that life in the human world wasn't devoid of any struggle. 

"Back in the days when I went job hunting as a college student, there were multiple ads in the papers, nowadays, everything's turning digital." Another thing that Aizen lacked experience in. 

He saw Sousuke's pursed lips quiver downwards slightly, almost revealing the grim expression it was hiding in answer to his statement. 

The ads in the paper didn't turn out to Sousuke's liking, as was expected... 

So Kisuke decided to pacify Sousuke's agitation by abiding to his wish of looking for jobs on the 'webs'. "It is called a web page." he corrected the other. Appeasing Sousuke would be over soon when he had to pay the usage of internet in the cafe by half an hour. —his own tolerance was dwindling exceedingly fast when acknowledged by that. 

Because Aizen wanted to do everything himself. And watching his lover navigate through the web addresses was just...painful. Any of Kisuke's corrections or helpful advice were plainly ignored. If that was only a sample of the other's stubborn nature, it was a definite reminder for Kisuke to not let Sousuke take any job. No employer would tolerate that behavior. 

Besides, their children were beginning to tire of the noise levels in the cafe when it neared their nap time. 

"Oh Kisuke look at this." the brunet said, switching the mouse to his left side, out of Kisuke's reach, when he tried to make a grab for it. "Salary is more than adequate. And reading its functions is like summarizing my person directly," 

"Must surely be a scam then..." 

"Planning, organizing, commanding and controlling," the blond furrowed his brows as the other continued to skim through the advert, skipping the most important part. "leadership is certainly a skill I possess." 

"I didn't know that you owned a degree in management." 

The brunet turned to him. "Dear Kisuke," he began sweetly. The fact that the other spoke to him in such endearment again was reason enough to be on guard, and Kisuke's furrowed brows raised further as Sousuke lovingly adjusted the lapels of the blond's coat. In an act of garnering approval of some sort, since the loving gestures resumed. "I know that you dislike forging anything that contradicts reality, but you have to admit that I would excel in such a function. If you could just aid me into the company with an appealing resume-" selective hearing formed a huge handicap of Sousuke —perhaps he should put that on his resume... 

"You lack the required diploma-" 

The brunet shushed him with a peck on the lips and whispered, "But, won't you fix this for me? You know that I am a great leader." 

He could flutter those eyelashes as much as he wanted, because any coy smile or touch was simply a low move on Sousuke's side. Kisuke therefore, grasped the other's cheeks into his hands before replying just as sugary, "Nice try, but no I won't, sweet cheeks." 

Next, he crawled out of the private booth and took their twins into his arms while Sousuke suddenly skimmed faster through the ads, aware that Kisuke was done listening. 

"No, wait!" commanded the other. "I have found something that earns a lot of money." 

The blond briefly glanced at the screen while Sousuke described the job offer, though Kisuke didn't need to hear more when he noticed the dubious looking website. "I'm sure it's transport of some illegal substance." 

"As long as it brings in mone-" 

"You don't own a license." he told his stubborn lover, now making serious motions of leaving when he went to get the stroller that stood off to the side. The ad was most likely a trap by the police or an actual job offer which would undoubtedly connect it to the Yakuza, both of which Kisuke wanted to stay away from. 

"Kisuke,..." 

"Sousuke,..." He replied to the other's whine with one of his own while buckling up one of the twins into the stroller, and the other infant into his seat. But, besides that, didn't provoke the other further. Sousuke would be out of the booth quicker when Kisuke ignored Aizen's calls after all. 

Including the other's accusing, "You are purposefully declining any job offer that I want to take." 

When the brunet didn't receive an answer, Kisuke saw Sousuke's head peeking out from in the booth. "Come, we're leaving." 

"You paid for an hour for the facilities, we cannot let that money get to waste." 

"And it ends in a couple of minutes, there's no way that you'll be able to find anything appealing yet at the same time reasonable, so let's go. The children need their nap." 

Sousuke's head disappeared, and Kisuke could hear a frustrating sigh before his lover finally gave up. 

-0- 

Kisuke had applied for a job at a nearby major clinical research facility. And had been accepted. The blond hadn't done it behind his back though, the other had showed Sousuke the application form the institute's website provided, before asking Sousuke if he was okay with that. 

Sousuke hadn't made entirely peace yet with the fact that once again, he would be forced to remain indoors, even if the Seireitei couldn't forbid the brunet from wandering around anymore. 

But, he respected that Kisuke had asked for his opinion before applying. 

He was currently sorting through the bag of clothes that Tessai brought over. Kisuke had needed a specific outfit to make a good first impression during the interview with the institute. But the bag held more than just his lover's items, it was stuffed with clothes that Sousuke was sure he had left at Kisuke's when he had decided to flee. 

"Is the house sold then?" he questioned the blond, who laid on the bed, making their twins —one at a time— 'soar' through the air as he held on to them. Roughhousing with the two and generally acting silly which —according to Daichi and Koichi's laughter— was a success. 

"No, the furniture and items we're going to keep is stocked at Tessai's, until I can sooth any landlord's concern with the validation of income." 

"You think they won't at all find fault in your contract being just temporarily?" he needed to wait a little longer on the reply when Daichi slapped two tiny hands on the blond's mouth as Kisuke pretended to munch on the kid's fingers. 

"We'll see." 

"If they find your personal stuff at Tessai's, there's a possibility that he gets apprehended, ever thought of that?" Central 46 wouldn't be above torturing anyone in order to receive information. Or they could spy on Tessai, whom would involuntarily lead them to Kisuke and Sousuke's hiding place. 

It was clear that Kisuke wasn't listening at all when the blond asked, "By who?" too busy playing with their infants. 

"Are you even listening to me?! Central 46, who else?" at Daichi's loud happy cry, he interfered, "You don't care about jeopardizing our safety it seems." he grabbed Daichi into his arms, drawing the blond's attention towards him. 

"Will you relax?! I have everything under control Sousuke." 

He wasn't only peeved because he was forced to stay at 'home' while Kisuke got out, but also because with the blond gone, the anxiousness would return. He resented the feeling of being so utterly helpless, so completely dependent on Kisuke being his savior. 

"I've obviously barricaded off Tessai's house with a little more than a simple reiatsu sealing kidou. The spell has a design akin to my secret hideout in the Seireitei that I developed in my youth, and the basement underneath my shop. Plus, without any direct connection to Soul Society, Tessai is more than guarded off." 

Sousuke handed Daichi over to his dad again when the child reached for Kisuke. "I see." he muttered calmly. It became time that he received a firm grip on himself again, on his emotions in particular. "Like your fake Karakura town." 

"Exactly." Urahara was quietly entertaining the kids now, motivating them to crawl; which worked better on Koichi than on his twin brother, whom just decided to lay himself flat on the bed as soon as he was put on his stomach. 

"Oh, but I have an idea." he said to Kisuke, as he contemplated further on Kisuke's guarded off spell. He sat himself on the edge of the bed. "We can build our own world Kisuke, just us like you mentioned. We need to worry less of any kind of interference when we'll be the only ones present. It will-" 

"No." 

He looked questionably at the blond, who's grey eyes determinedly looked his way. "Why not?" it would be ideal, what could he possibly have against his idea? 

"It's not exactly the kind of surrealism that I want our kids getting attached to, furthermore, it would be so lonely. The places I constructed were primarily shelters and training fields, the fake Karakura town was devoid of any life, except of which the Seireitei wanted to fool you with." 

Sousuke looked away from those expressive eyes when they seemed to judge him. 

"You are overwhelmed by everything that has happened, Sousuke. But, we'll be fine, it's only going to get better from now on. There's more to life than power, surrender yourself to the unknown and let it go." 

He avoided glancing in Kisuke's direction as he took comfort in the other's arms that suddenly surrounded him. Since the brunet didn't voice it out loud, Kisuke could probably sense his insecurities from afar. "You'll find out that depending on someone isn't as horrible as you might have thought it to be." 

"I just dislike the vulnerability it brings along." he whispered in the other's neck. Even if that wasn't by far the hardest confession he had to make to the blond, it remained difficult to openly talk about how he felt. "It makes me feel so wea-" 

"Don't say that, you are anything but. Showing your feelings doesn't make you weak at all. It's the opposite actually, when you're showing that you're not afraid of revealing your true self. How else can someone get on with their life, if one doesn't take a chance into the unknown." 

If only it was as easy as Kisuke made it out to be. 

"You're not a machine, you're not devoid of any feelings." they separated when Koichi threatened to slip off of the bed, the sneaky twin had managed to quietly crawl to the side of the bed that wasn't plastered against the wall. "It's okay to be afraid." continued Kisuke, after he had put Koichi back on the safe side of the bed again. 

And that's exactly what Sousuke wanted to avoid; an admittance of being afraid. This way he had nothing in control anymore, plans beforehand scheduled everything perfectly; he was prepared that way of what was to come. But now, he had to leave it all to fate? Everything was so...uncertain. 

And with Kisuke at work, how will he be able to deal with any of those uncertainties? 

"I am unable to protect my own children." 

Kisuke's face turned towards Daichi, the odd sight of the little one's attempts of trying to crawl brought a chuckle to the former shopkeeper. The kid's tiny bottom perched in the air, and his head was smooshed into the sheets as he tried to move forwards. "He looks like a caterpillar." Sousuke chuckled as the blond motioned to their child. "It will take a long journey for them to turn into a butterfly, and along that journey, we won't always be there to protect them." 

Protecting them from harm or otherwise nurturing them into full fledged Shinigami was definitely not Sousuke's initial motivation at their conception, but that all changed when he wanted to be there for them and invest his attention into them. Wouldn't Kisuke's statement entirely defeat the purpose of having kids though? 

"It's normal to be afraid," the other repeated. "but, that fear can't smother our children, they need to be able to get the opportunity to spread their wings." 

Sousuke could barely stop the accusation that laid on the tip of his tongue from being spewed out at Kisuke, 'hypocrite; their kids needed to be free while he had to be shackled?' 

"We can't do more than our best." he reassured. "Benihime will stay here with you while I go to work." 

Sousuke glanced at the cane. If there was ever a moment where he was sure that he was close to dying, it had been then. The hot jabs of pain he felt in his heart due to the continued corroding wound near his binding chain would have been heart-stopping if the Hogyoku didn't deliver counter-shocks to keep it beating. 

At the same time, he couldn't breathe at all. Kisuke's bankai was anything but an angelic princess that came down as an fallen angel. She hadn't stolen her name at all, the crimson color of his own blood was impossible to scrub away from Daichi's baby seat. "She's quite the..." he glanced back at Kisuke, whose eyes seemed focused on detecting his thoughts. "healer." well...at least the ugly scar of the cesarean-section was gone now... 

"When I was allowed to take Benihime back, there was this force," the blond's words seemed carefully thought out, as if he was trying to approach the pinnacle of his point as delicately as possible. 

"Yes, and?" 

Kisuke's own eyes traveled to Benihime, before connecting to his again. "Never mind, I'll tell you another time. Take a warm relaxing bath, I'll keep our squirming caterpillars busy." 

-0- 

On Kisuke's first day of work, he took the subway. He would undoubtedly be quicker while using shunpo, but the blond wanted the full experience. The crowds bustling to and fro was simply fascinating. Karakura town was far from an agricultural area, but it definitely wasn't situated in a busy city either, unlike where they currently resided. 

The fascination ran deeper because he was not only a spectator of the rush, but also an active participant. It's not his first direct experience of the human life; college and owning a shop were just as vibrant encounters —though freely undergoing something just enhanced the freedom it brought, without Soul Society limiting the taste in anyway. 

"Azuchi Akihiko." introduced his superior as he was led by the laboratory leader to his station. 

The name made the blond halt his strides in an instant. "Azuchi? That's not a common name anymore these times in the human world." the miniature hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge: Azuchi was a well known minor noble clan in the Seireitei. 

"It actually surprises me that it took so long to finally come in contact with you, when we were reviewing your resume, I noticed your name immediately." 

Kisuke narrowed his eyes, subtly watching the other for signs that indicated the other was about to attack. "You were the one who hired me." he stated indirectly. The blond should have realized that it was more than a miracle that he got employed so fast, which became more than obvious now. 

Azuchi could therefore easily read off Kisuke's wary expression. "No, don't worry," the laboratory leader laughed, "I know of your defection from Soul Society, but that is not why I sought contact. I myself have broken ties to the spirit world ages ago, after I escaped the bonding ceremony of my arranged wife in order to be with my human girlfriend, now fiancé. Who is a shareholder of Sonzai Med Institute." 

"Oh," Kisuke chuckled, idly scratching the back of his head. "Congratulations." 

Even if the young man came across sincere, the name was a point of concern, and he was definitely going to let Yoruichi trace it for certainty. "But you understand my worry, you being a noble-" 

"Former noble, I was stripped of my rank." 

Kisuke waved his hand offhandedly. "The institute's research in fertility, plus my Hogyoku...you know." 

The guy seemed more or less confused. "What has the Hogyoku to do with anything? I recommended you because you were the founder of the 12th division, obviously someone with enough experience in the field of research." 

Kisuke refrained from informing the other that he was also the cause of blowing up said division. 

But that was the danger of becoming overly suspicious; he had said too much. He revealed more than the laboratory leader was apparently aware of. The young man had to be...thirty in human years? And at least fifty years his younger in Shinigami years. The guy was completely clueless on all that happened since the former noble lost his title. 

Although, it's not like the Hogyoku's true intent was still a big secret... "A lot has changed." said Kisuke, "I can fill you in during lunch, perhaps?" the best way to indirectly test Azuchi's lack of knowledge of the Seireitei. Of course, without mentioning Aizen or their twins, his private life needed to stay just that. 

After a brief summarization of some events, it turned out that the guy seemed to be unaware as far as the Hogyoku's ability to give life was concerned —And Aizen's incarceration or the Quincy war. 

What with Kisuke becoming so focused on details that betrayed that someone was lying, he could honestly say that the man spoke the truth. 

"Diminishing the line between a man and a woman..." said the guy in awe. "I have to call you my superior instead of the other way around." 

The blond cast his gaze downwards in embarrassment. "Not really, there remained faults, it was anything but perfect." he was proud of what the orb brought forth as far as their children were concerned. The added struggles on the other hand, he could have done without. The power it generated was a definite must, but at the same time, a magnet for power hungry individuals. 

"No, no," said his laboratory leader. "don't be modest, there's something there. What if I give you the space to create something similar here in our institute?" 

Kisuke shook his head. 'Why is everybody always so interested in his research?' "I vowed to never recreate the Hogyoku." 

Azuchi clearly saw his loss in interest. "I don't mean the orb, just the underlining concept of creating life for the incapable." 

"Male pregnancy is physically impossible for humans, they lack the energy-" 

Azuchi picked in quickly, "Branch out a little, we're still without success looking to up the probability for a pregnancy in females that have fertility problems. I'm going to put you in that aisle. I'll give you complete free reign." he said eagerly with a pointed finger in Kisuke's way, before moving on to show him his station. 

Even if Kisuke kept thinking, 'where is the drawback?' he figured it was worth a shot. Where else does he currently have the chance to experiment to his full content after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to address a couple of things:  
> 
> 
> -Chapter 12 and 13 are going to be intermediate chapters to show how Kisuke and Sousuke cope with being cut off from Soul Society, before I skip a couple of months.  
> 
> 
> -And regarding Kisuke's behavior: He is once again contradicting his own statement of "A relationship is not about control." while I think it's obvious that he's trying everything to keep Aizen under his control. Whether it's a validated concern of Kisuke or not, it is definitely not okay in real life relationships!  
> 
> 
> -And a little fun fact: Solicit means applying for a job in my native language, but I did good on looking up the word in English beforehand since I don't think Aizen would have been okay with Kisuke soliciting... lol.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _***= Past Nightmare_

**** = past/nightmare  
**Chapter 13**

"Your naivety will be the end of you some day," Sousuke told his lover when the blond came back from his first day of work and had relayed the background of his superior. Someone of the nobility is never to be trusted; their integrity is as false as Kyouka Suigetsu's illusions. It did not matter if it was just a minor clan. They all supported the same cause anyhow: making sure that the Soul King was completely free of harm throughout the loyalty of its subordinates, the citizens of Soul Society. 

And right now, Kisuke and he were famous afflictions of all that the Seireitei worshipped. 

"You are walking into a trap." He handed Koichi, fresh out of his bath, to Kisuke, who wrapped their child in a towel while the brunet dealt with the aftercare. 

"I recognise a psychopathic liar from afar; I've enough experience with that kind of type." 

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blond. "Is that an accusation?" 

"I didn't directly address you now, did I?" 

Sousuke adjusted Kisuke's hold on Koichi when the little one squirmed away from the soft baby brush. 

"You're blowing everything out of proportion again." 

That was hardly the problem; it was the fact that the blond went too lightly over matters that could potentially endanger them. 

Perhaps Sousuke's own fear originated in the fact that he had no powers; it was an anxiety that was a recurring theme now: all those uncertainties could drive him up the wall. He just was too used to being on his own, so relying on someone else was extremely frightening. And okay, perhaps he needed to put more trust in Kisuke because if it weren't for the other's fast thinking, Sousuke would have said his last words at the square in the Seireitei and that would have been it. 

But, even Kisuke's common sense could sometimes lead to wrong decisions; a genius he may be, but even geniuses make mistakes, -fortunately, or else Urahara would have never begun a relationship with him or forgiven Sousuke for that matter. - "I just want you to keep that possibility in mind: a leopard can't change its spots." 

With Koichi in Kisuke's hold, Sousuke could concentrate on bathing the other twin and it wasn't until he finished with Daichi's aftercare that Kisuke decided to answer. "It's because of your own bad experience with the nobility that you generalise all aristocrats." 

Kisuke could see that he had struck a nerve with that because suddenly the brunet was all ears for him. Sousuke stopped everything and put Daichi in his seat to grant Kisuke his full attention. "Excuse me?" 

"Kyouka Suigetsu showed me." The blond purposefully didn't elaborate to see if Aizen was going to take the initiative. 

Different emotions crossed his lover's face, but the most expressive one was the affirmation on those features, even though Sousuke contradicted the truth. "I do not know what he showed you, but you do realise that my zanpakuto relies entirely on illusions to win someone over." 

The expected denial would have sounded profound if it wasn't followed by Sousuke's usual strategy of giving out excessively long speeches, which, of course, betrayed that it was one of those sensitive subjects to the brunet that he tried with all his might to keep buried away. 

"It was most likely a proper distraction to get you under his control and possibly-" 

"Sousuke, come now. Stop it. You don't believe that yourself." Just by observing Sousuke's posture, Kisuke could debunk that lie. When the other's reaction was hopelessly distracting himself by folding the baby clothes, Kisuke manually diverted Sousuke's attention back to him. The blond steered his lover to sit down on the bed, not giving him the opportunity to avoid the topic at hand. 

Sousuke sighed, "What did he show you?" 

"I think it was fragments of your childhood, early teenhood. He even showed me how Isshin-" The brunet's narrowed eyes flashed to his briefly. "I'm sorry, that I didn't believe you." The ones who had surrounded Sousuke during his violation had also been noble members; Kisuke didn't need to recognise them: a noble crest was worn proudly. 

Sousuke shook his head quickly, eager to bypass that subject. "Is that all?" he questioned abrasively. 

"No, there's something else. Were you by chance born in a noble clan?" or more accurately: royalty. 

"I do not know why you are so steadfast on finding out my past; isn't our relationship supposed to symbolise a new beginning? Surely the past should not matter anymore." 

Was Kisuke truly supposed to guess everything about his lover himself? Yes, they were looking towards the future, but he would like to do it while being aware of Aizen's heritage. 

"You don't see me interrogating you about your past." 

"Well, you're allowed to know if you want." His suggestion wasn't immediately appreciated by his lover, probably because Aizen was already so well-informed about him. What with being privy to Kisuke's attempts on the Hogyoku and so on and so forth, of course, Aizen wouldn't be interested in his story anymore. 

He decided to enlighten the other anyways, in the hope that it would trigger Sousuke to talk. "The earliest memory I can recall is of me as an eight-year-old in the Rukongai. I wasn't born in the Seireitei, so I must have died in the human world." Kisuke wasn't reborn as a Soul so it inevitably meant that he didn't die of old age in the human world. 

The brunet stood up from the bed, going back to folding the clothes. 

"Sousuke..." 

"I'm listening." 

"I wasn't resurrected in any of the lower districts though, I lived closer to the borders of the Seireitei. And since I became aware early on of how to manipulate my reiatsu to build up constructions from scratch, I never had to struggle to survive on the streets. But I got still picked up as a stray by-" 

"The Shihoin heiress," the brunet finished, proving that Sousuke was well-informed of Kisuke's childhood. 

"Yeah, Yoruichi was a little bit younger than me when I met her. She was fascinated by my ability to manipulate kidou and offered me a place in her estate so I had a chance to improve my ability." 

"I'm sure that was not the only thing she was fascinated with." 

Kisuke gave a look at the unnecessary jealous tone that always seemed to rear its head every time he mentioned her. But Sousuke's back was turned to him. "And we became inseparable ever since." 

"Mmhmm." 

It didn't trigger anything at all; Aizen kept busying himself with folding clothes. 

So, the blond needed to take the first step after all. "You, on the other hand, were born in the Seireitei, and not just in any noble family, but, in the Royal Clan." 

He saw Sousuke glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. "You are not going to let the subject rest, are you?" he almost sneered. 

Koichi, who was seated on Kisuke's lap, made a disagreeable whining noise at Sousuke's rather contemptuous tone and glance thrown their way, which successfully diminished some of the brunet's fiery attitude. 

Aizen trudged back their way and took Koichi into his arms when their son almost drew away from the brunet's presence. He kissed the side of Koichi's temple apologetically before telling Kisuke, "Yes, you could say that I am of royal heritage." 

He knew it; Aizen's facial features ran prominently through the Soul King's'. "The name Aizen however-" 

"Is my mother's name." The brunet handed Koichi back to Kisuke before finally voluntarily taking a place next to him on the bed. "It would have to be a cold day in Hell before I call the one who sired me as my father." 

"The Soul King?" Kisuke guessed, even though he speculated it was the king's brother who had to be Aizen's father. 

"No. The Taira clan had two sons initially; I don't know if you know that." Kisuke nodded. "Not that Daigo had any lesser power than the Soul King or a better reputation at that. In fact, he was known in the Taira estate as the brother who had rather loose hands since he couldn't keep them to himself when the maids were concerned. Whether it was physical abuse or sexual abuse-" 

Kisuke narrowed his eyes at the bland neutral tone; hopefully, that didn't mean what he was beginning to think it meant. "Did your father-" 

"I am not done talking yet; do not interrupt me again if you are so keen on hearing it. And I already told you, I do not call him my father... My mother was one of the maids; however, I can't recall her since she died during childbirth as many of the maids peculiarly did - because what a shame if some bastard son could stake claim to the throne. Especially since his want for the maids did not dissolve. He had after all found out his own mechanism to take care of any mistakes that came forth out of his adventures." Sousuke's eyes briefly flashed in Benihime's direction. "Unfortunately, I survived." 

He was about to caress Sousuke's knee as some form of comfort, but the brunet refused to look at him directly in favour of taking Daichi out of his seat to put him on the bed. Practising crawling was definitely used in order to avoid looking at Kisuke, but the blond didn't mind; if that was all it took for Sousuke to willingly enlighten him, it was fine. 

"Throughout my whole childhood, I was kept within those four walls, though I was forbidden to enter the main estate, lest Daigo's consort was made aware of any bastard children wandering around. I was housed in the shed which was mainly meant for the attendants and their daughters. My tasks included maid duties, but do not worry, Daigo was not interested in little boys. The Soul King on the other hand..." Sousuke waved his hand in an offhanded manner. "I was safe from his advances though, but not his uncanny ability to set people up against each other." 

Then Aizen must have inherited more than just that strong jawline, but he wasn't going to remind the other of that... 

"Daigo's rightful heir to the family clan name, my lovely half-brother, Hikaru, was actually not what his clan leadership expected in order to uphold the family name reiatsu-wise. Taira-sama, therefore, decided to give his son some extra motivation by steering Hikaru into constant competition with me. Since I was allowed to attend the Academy suddenly, my good grades, both in theory and in combat practice, went far above my half-brother's. Hikaru couldn't beat me alone, so he came up with the idea of involving his friends in tyrannising me which turned worse when I received Kyouka Suigetsu... and, well, you know that story already..." 

The secret of Aizen's heritage must have been equally kept within those four walls, and when Daigo was murdered, the Taira clan leader must have taken that secret with him to the grave. But he wondered if Daigo's brother, the Soul King, was aware of his connection to Aizen. 

"I do not know if he ever told the Soul King directly, but in his early years of ruling the realm, the Soul King visited the Seireitei more often and made detours to his clan along the way. I had seen him around a couple of times when I was a kid, especially since the Royal Guards were personally trained on the estate. I even speculated that he came around so often to prey on his nephew." 

That speculation might be true, the Soul King was fervently preying on Daichi, with their son even cursed as the king's future consort. Not that Kisuke was going to let that happen. He hadn't found anything currently to break the curse, and neither had Benihime, but he wasn't about to give up anytime soon either. Sousuke didn't have any knowledge of the curse yet, and finding the right time to inform him was difficult. Besides, if Kisuke ever found the cure, Sousuke didn't need to become unnecessarily worried over something that could be prevented in time. 

"Where else did my half-brother get the idea to orchestrate the night of my defilement... Victims of sexual abuse often turn into predators in order to exert the position of dominator rather than be victimised again: a superior position if you will." 

Was Aizen talking in terms of experience? His lover hadn't sexually abused anyone -as far as he knew - but the brunet's position as Lord of Hueco Mundo or his plans of taking over the Soul Palace... All were acts to claim a superior position. 

"Are you satisfied by knowing?" 

"Sousuke, it's not a matter of potentially using this knowledge to my advantage so stop putting that in your head. I want to know every little thing about you because I simply love you." He grasped the other's cheeks in his hands and kissed Sousuke's confused expression away, replacing it with a timid smile. 

At least he succeeded in clearing away the troubled look. 

"I am not used to confiding in anyone, so it feels strange." 

Every loving reaction, be it verbally or physically, had been more than a challenge to their relationship. And as difficult as some of those moments were, it was at the same time beautiful to see Sousuke disclose himself gradually before his eyes. 

Glancing over at his lover, Sousuke seemed visibly more at ease by telling the story, as if some invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 

**** 

_Sousuke hadn't gone to bed yet since he forgot to clean the kitchen of the maid quarters after getting distracted while taking care of the garden. It had been too hot outside to get much of anything done. And now, well past midnight, the temperature had finally dropped so it was the best time to catch up on forgotten chores before anyone of the staff informed the master of Sousuke's slacking off._

_Most of the attendants got along well, but here and there were some tattletales._

_Just in time, he caught a glimpse of Taira-sama through the kitchen window and from then on made sure to stay unnoticed. The master of the estate was on his usual round of inspecting everything._

_And just as Sousuke was afraid that the master would check in at the kitchen, Chiyo showed up._

_The brunet couldn't overhear their conversation, what with the loud noises of the wind rushing through the maid quarters, but her voice sounded upset._

_Hopefully, there was nothing wrong with her baby._

_Chiyo, along with another maid, was carrying. There had also been a third maid, who was pregnant, but she disappeared a while ago. Personally, he thought they were allowed to leave the estate to take care of their babies._

_Because pregnant maids always got special treatment, they were mostly the happiest. Funny thing is though that Chiyo didn't look so happy about expecting a baby while it was normally supposed to be a joyous happening. Or so he had heard through the gossip that went on in the shed._

_Since he was still undiscovered he decided to take advantage of the loud noises of the wind and attempted to sneak his way to the exit of the kitchen only to be surprised by a harsh sound that indicated a slap and the cry that followed._

_He managed to get a little bit closer and could hear Taira-sama's deep tone._

_"My healer told me you were carrying a boy; you actually thought you could keep this from me?!"_

_Sousuke cautiously peered outside through the slats and saw Chiyo on her knees - one hand covering her mouth, and the other resting on her stomach._

_"Please, I didn't know..."_

_What was wrong? Why would it be bad if it was a boy? Come to think about it, the only babies that were born here were girls... If it made the master angry, Sousuke needed to warn Akemi; she was carrying a boy, too._

_"Don't you play that game with me; do you think that you can fool me?" The master's hand caressed the maid's cheek lovingly, lifting her head so he could look into her eyes._

_Chiyo's eyes remained focused on the ground though as she sniffled behind her hand._

_"Please... he won't stand in your way. Give him a ch-" Her head snapped back after Taira -sama hit her again._

_Sousuke instantly wanted to look away when she cowered as soon as the master kneeled in front of her. Taira's voice could lull anyone into a serene state of mind before he struck. And he didn't want to be a witness to that, lest he be caught spying again and be forced to endure two days without food. Or the time that Sousuke, by accident, broke Hikaru's new nunchucks... he shuddered involuntarily at the brief memory of the wood being brought down upon his back as punishment._

_"Don't you worry; I'm going to take care of him." The master of the estate's voice sounded a little too reassuring, something the attendants were all too familiar with. As was Chiyo since her whimper wasn't one of relief - that much Sousuke understood at seven years old._

_She was yanked upright by her upper arm, forcing her along with him._

_Sousuke made sure to check twice if the coast was clear before trailing after the two. Because maybe Chiyo would be led outside to where the other maid disappeared off to... If there was some secret exit to the estate, Sousuke would gladly come along._

_After all, outside, there were worlds to explore, or so had heard..._

_Sousuke closely followed their shapes in the dark while making sure neither could see him. But, the place to where Taira-sama took Chiyo was the entrance to the dungeons... and he knew that just like the estate itself that the dungeons were a forbidden area to pass through._

_He, therefore, snuck down the stairs as slowly as possible in order to avoid any creaking noises that alerted the master. At the end of the staircase, he saw the outline of the two disappearing through one of the doors in the long hallway. Running up to that door he discovered it was actually a big metal-like gate. The thick barricaded door scared him off and he had to contemplate on the fact if it would even be a good idea to enter._

_Because he had seen no moonlight reflection shining through when the door opened, not to mention that Taira-sama would be so mad if he found out Sousuke was still up and following them._

_And the master already seemed so angry..._

_His hesitation served as a good incentive to try that adventure another time since the gate's lock slid in place._

_Midway into creeping back towards the stairs, he found another gate-like door that stood ajar._

_Curiosity piqued, he immediately went to investigate the newly discovered room. This created an exciting rush in comparison to his mundane tasks day in day out. And just maybe, he would still find a door that led outside... perhaps, through a tunnel of some sort._

_Sadly, it led to a closed-off room. A supply room for zanpakuto in fact._

_A ray of different swords hung up on the wall, probably the zanpakuto of the Royal Guards._

_Sousuke had never been that close to a real zanpakuto and had never got to hold one, unlike Hikaru, the master's son, who was Sousuke's age. He didn't like the only other boy on the estate; Hikaru kept taunting Sousuke for some reason..._

_After adjusting his glasses, trying to peer at the nameplates above the swords, and not being able to figure out the kanji, he traced the glistening steel only to recoil after a sharp, stinging sensation._

_He knew that the handler of a zanpakuto needed to form a bond with their weapon but never realised they could be so hostile towards others. Rubbing his inner palm that turned red, he glared at the sword before trying his luck with one of the others, not that it made a difference..._

_The brunet set about studying the designs instead. They were, after all, unique._

_So, engrossed by the different patterns, he reached the end of the row. Though the wall went further, the sheaths for the swords were still empty, as were the nameplates. Odd... he guessed they functioned as booked spots for the new recruits._

_He was promptly taken out of his musings by a blood-curdling scream, one that shot through both bone and marrow. No doubt it was Chiyo since it was a woman's voice._

_But he didn't care anymore. He needed to get out of there as fast as possible; his mystery was solved anyways: definitely, no exits there!_

_Sousuke forgot all about being quiet while hurrying out of the dungeon. He even lost his glasses somewhere along the way. The brunet ran as fast as he could, back into the shed that consisted of the maid's living quarters, and being unable to see properly, he stumbled into Akemi._

_"You... he took her! He took her there!" Sousuke pointed randomly in the direction where Chiyo was taken off to. "He's going to do the same to you; you need to hide, now!" as he pushed against her swollen belly lightly to find some coverage, Akemi took his hands into hers and smiled lightly._

_Why was she smiling?! It wasn't funny at all. His heart was still pounding loudly due to that scare._

_Sousuke yanked on her hands to make her obey, but she kept resisting, almost calmly... "Hurry! I went after them to find the exit to somewhere else, but there is no-"_

_"Sousuke-kun, it's okay," she replied, freeing her hands while at the same time hugging him close to her so he was practically smooshed up against her pregnant belly._

_Sousuke felt a strange sort of spiritual thrum oozing from within the hard rounded stomach - probably the baby's reiatsu._

_"It's not exactly an exit, but it's a freedom to some." Her voice was soft and soothing._

_He looked up at her oddly, not really understanding the meaning behind it._

_"Forget what you saw and never go to any forbidden place anymore, alright?" she said while staring at a picture of the moon's reflection on the water that hung on the wall._

_Why was she so calm?!_

_His aggravated state earned him a stomp from the baby's reiatsu._

_Akemi chuckled as he hurriedly got out of her embrace. "It's okay; he's taken a liking to you."_

_Sousuke frowned in response. "Did you name him yet?" he asked, slightly annoyed because he understood that she purposefully changed the subject._

_She nodded, patting her stomach. "Suigetsu."_

**** 

Aizen awoke with a deep breath, sitting upright he tried to dissolve the oppressive feeling that went through his chest. He looked beside him at Kisuke, but the blond was still deeply asleep. 

Why did Urahara necessarily want to know about his past? Since telling the other, about four weeks ago, it all came back to him now in the form of nightmares - ones that he had worked so hard to suppress deep within himself, so they couldn't haunt him and stand in the way of his life. 

Feeling the tightness in his chest worsening, Sousuke stepped out of bed quietly, thankful to come into contact with the cold floorboard because the chilly temperature suddenly rushed through him as if to awaken him further and the orb suddenly stopped its maddening throbbing. 

He had already come to the conclusion that it was the Hogyoku that was causing the pressing force and knew how to defuse its forceful oppression. No point of concern though, for he only experienced it when he was in great peril. Nothing he should wake up Kisuke for; the blond needed his rest. 

He trudged over to the portable crib that Tessai brought over and gazed at his sleeping twin boys. Leaning on the edge, he listened soundly to their soft breathing, getting at least some comfort through their peaceful forms. 

Daichi was sleeping through the night easier since moving out of Karakura town, in fact, both twins stayed asleep until at least four o'clock in the morning. That was at least five hours of decent night's rest for him and Kisuke... well mostly decent... the hotel not only looked grungy from the outside: curse Kisuke's stinginess because the hotel beds were not only extremely uncomfortable but their sheets seemed questionable as far as their cleanliness was concerned... 

He trudged back to bed, shoving aside the longing for some actual validation in the form of Kisuke telling him that everything would be alright. He was no longer seven; he was in no need to be comforted after a bad dream, however true that dream was. 

The concern faded away when he was once again -unneeded mind you- reminded of the cheapness of the hotel: the thin wooden walls had the couple next door's declaration of love -or lust- resounding loudly for the fourth night in a row! He had no need to hear them going at it and be reminded of another thing he lacked: passion perhaps or another validation? 

Because Kisuke's high libido had been far off since fleeing Karakura town, and it made Sousuke surprisingly frustrated. Because admittedly, before the pregnancy, he could barely keep up with the blond's constant need. There had rarely been a night -or day- left where he didn't need to shoo away Kisuke's grabby hands to give his sore bottom some much-needed rest. 

During the pregnancy, on the other hand, he either wanted Kisuke fervently or he wanted the other as far away from him as possible; it depended on his mood. 

But these four weeks with the blond in a hotel bed made it impossible to get some true loving time alone; not only did their children reside in the room with them, but Urahara also fell asleep as soon as he hit the sheets... 

They lay next to each other, so close, and yet Sousuke somehow felt as if there was an entire ocean between them and he couldn't reach Kisuke. He needed Kisuke so much, not only for the sex but for the part that was left unsaid: the part that Sousuke found difficult to talk about out loud - intimacy in its purest form, a loving feeling of warmth and familiarity. 

He sighed restlessly and kissed his partner's naked shoulder before closing his eyes and trying hard to suppress the noises of next door's headboard banging against the wall. 

-0- 

Kisuke vaguely heard his alarm clock going off and pushed the snooze button for five more minutes of rest. 

Until a bit later, when he was abruptly woken up by the energised squealing of Daichi and Koichi before one of them was unceremoniously dumped into his lap. The sleeping fog drifted away in an instant when the kid's feet came in contact with his balls. 

"Wake up daddy," came Sousuke's far too pleased greeting. 

"Sousuke, sweetie, mind where you put the kids; the blanket is rather thin." Or actually, why did it feel like they were wearing shoes? 

Opening his eyes, the blond was greeted by the sight of Daichi sitting contentedly next to him, pacifier keeping the little one quiet while Kisuke simultaneously moved Koichi - the one responsible for his sore equipment - up his stomach to a safer zone. 

The twins were not only wearing shoes but fully dressed as well. He glanced around the room in search of his lover. "Why are-" he trailed off quickly when the blond saw Sousuke's outfit. The brunet was dressed nicely as well. He would even say that with the dress shirt and slacks, Aizen looked ready to go to work rather than Kisuke himself. 

"Okay... I'm not following here. Why are you dressed?" 

"It would be most inappropriate to walk around naked, no?" chided his lover while casually stuffing the diaper bag with some goodies. 

"I mean those clothes; you're not forgetting I need to go to work today, right?" 

"I know. I'm going out into town with the twins while you're off doing your duty." 

"Okay, hold on." He sprang out of bed after making sure that Daichi and Koichi were supported fully by cushions. 

"You're not taking away that much of my freedom; I need to get out of these four walls or I'll go completely ma-" 

Kisuke stopped his lover's rant by handing over Benihime. Both Sousuke and Benihime simultaneously made a similar discontented noise. "For safety only," Kisuke pressured to both at once. 

He heard his zanpakuto's reassurance in his mind, but his lover refrained from giving out the same sort of verbal affirmation. He didn't need to convince Sousuke further as the brunet hooked the handle of the cane over the stroller's handgrip. "Do you need some money to go and drink somewhere?" 

Kisuke would rather have Sousuke waiting for him at the hotel to make sure everything would be alright, but he knew that was practically impossible. Sousuke was becoming frustrated, and it was vital to give in a little before his lover exploded. 

"That is not needed; I already took the liberty of doing that myself." 

Of course, he did... 

Kisuke was quick to check his wallet after that sentence and found out that the brunet took out an awful lot to drink a couple of teas. 

The brunet gave him a look whilst checking. "I need a couple of necessities." 

"Do not spend our money on useless stuff." 

"They're essential, I assure you." 

Somehow, that did not sound reassuring... 

"And what pray tell defines essential in your-" 

Sousuke instantly interrupted Kisuke's attempt to question him. "Don't you need to hurry up and go to work?" which prompted the blond to check the time and conclude that he indeed needed to get on with it. 

When the blond finished, they both left the hotel room, each going his own way. 

Sousuke first set about finding an establishment that relied solely on serving breakfast. He could enjoy his freedom alone for a change - along with the twins - and proceeded to feed the twins their morning mashed fruits. But being all by himself, taking care of the two infants took sufficiently longer and he ended up spending his entire morning in the restaurant. 

Two diaper changes, a crying fit - courtesy of Daichi - and another trip to the bathroom - after Koichi stubbornly spit out his mashed food again - later, he was finally on his way to shop. 

Screw Kisuke's advice; his own advice sounded better. Besides, he was in dire need of some new clothes: jeans in particular. The tight-fitted pants he favoured before his pregnancy were all surprisingly too small. He couldn't get those jeans buttoned up anymore, which was just all-around depressing. 

He refused to believe that it was still a result of carrying Daichi and Koichi because hadn't he worked off that baby weight months ago? 

However, actually trying on the clothes formed a problem because he couldn't possibly take the stroller with him into the fitting stall. One of the staff attendants even showed up to inform Sousuke directly, "Could you leave the buggy outside; the floorboards-" 

Sousuke none too gently shoved the man's hands away from the handgrip of the stroller and made sure that his expression sufficiently warned the human not to try that again. And for all of the blond's advice on Benihime being there to protect him, she stayed completely unresponsive. Alright... so the human didn't necessarily form a threat, but still... 

Moreover, couldn't the man see that Sousuke had twins? How could he possibly try on anything with one of them on the arm? Koichi could remain in his seat, but the brunet wasn't about to leave Daichi outside with the stroller. 

The human decided to threaten him instead; Sousuke would be forcefully thrown out of the store if he didn't cooperate. 

Aizen would like to see him try... 

However, he settled for buying a single pair without even fitting them. Aizen's mood had plummeted completely southwards since then anyways. 

His luck didn't exactly get any better, as he wasn't even a couple of feet out of the store before Daichi had his outburst. Sousuke was even forced to take Daichi in his arm when the child refused to quiet down, even with the pacifier... 

Here he was: pushing an empty buggy while holding the little one in one arm while Koichi's baby seat slung over that arm simultaneously. What a mess... he was more than regretting his day out already... 

Not that he gave up so soon though. 

He eventually put Daichi back into the stroller, despite the temper tantrum returning. 

Sousuke still needed some personal products: including hair-gel and name brand lotions and bathing products because Kisuke always bought those cheap replacements that made his skin itch. 

Throughout the whole store, the surly twin made himself known; it earned the brunet fierce glares from some customers, but he could care less. He even purposely took longer on selecting his products just to tick off those that couldn't keep their opinions to themselves. 

Back in their temporary home, it was time for the little ones' lunch before their nap, which was when Sousuke could spend some time solely on himself. Needless to say, he truly enjoyed those peaceful hours to pamper himself. But also, begrudgingly found out that the pants he bought were a size too small, even though that size had fit perfectly before his pregnancy. 

He was sure that the baby weight was gone though, so what was the problem? 

By the times the twins woke up from their nap, it was nearing the hour that Kisuke normally came back from work. Although this was Friday, Sousuke remembered that the blond's superior had a party planned, so he would inevitably be a little later than usual. 

The brunet's return to slicked back hair was a great point of interest for the twins. The two were extremely fascinated by his 'new' look, which suddenly became a good motivation to teach them how to stand upright on their own. Daichi and Koichi would try to reach out for his hair in order to try and grab a hold of the loose strands in the front. 

Until of course, his little ones became hungry again; both became extremely whiny under those circumstances. 

Sousuke quickly made a little trip downstairs to get their bottles warmed up. He was practically in and out of the hotel room, so the brunet never took either of the twins with him. 

Feeding time itself went laboriously with Daichi. Kisuke still wasn't back yet and it's like the kid experienced the absence as an abnormality in his schedule that needed to be corrected instantly. Daichi refused to properly drink the bottle resulting in an unnecessary outburst from the twin. 

Sousuke gave up on trying to encourage Daichi when the little one mimicked Koichi's act of spewing everything back out. "Oh, my child..." But unlike Koichi, it was most of the milk that he had tried to feed Daichi for the past half an hour… meaning he would have to give the little one a bath. "Why?" 

The single word prompted the little one to burst into tears, even though it wasn't particularly worded in a harsh manner. 

When had he ever thought that children were easy?... 

He was just filling the bathtub when a knock sounded on the door. 

Not being able to feel Kisuke's pressure told him it wasn't the blond and he took Benihime with him to cautiously open the door, a crying Daichi still being held on one hip. 

But it turned out it was nothing to worry about since the young male he was greeted with was a human, and came clearly out of the shower/bathtub himself - what with the towel that was knotted around his hips. 

Sousuke could appreciate the sight... well, up until the youngster's request. 

The man had had enough of the kid's 'constant screaming' and asked Sousuke to keep the kid quiet. 

He could understand that Daichi's crying could test one's patience easily, but what did the human expect him to do? "Where is your room?" he asked above his son's whines. 

If the man stayed in one of the rooms down the hall and Daichi's cries could still be heard from all the way at the end of the hallway, the request was somewhat reasonable. Only, it was not. In fact, it was his loud neighbour, the one that kept Sousuke awake at night. 

The brunet put his charming face on. "Oh, it is you." 

He was about to tell the man – politely - where he could shove that request when he felt Kisuke's nearing pressure. Daichi seemed to feel his dad's presence too because suddenly his cries quit and excited babbling replaced his tears. 

Well, just on time; he could use the fortunate coincidence to his advantage. Kisuke's jealous rage was easily provoked and Sousuke could simultaneously annoy the younger man for his unreasonable request. 

"Could you hold my son for a second?" 

Not even minding that the human's clear unwillingness visibly showed, the brunet just shoved Daichi practically into the younger guy's arms. His son frowned at the stranger who held him, but besides that, was too excited for his dad's comeback to care. 

Sousuke quickly got one of the wet wipes to wipe away the sour smelling milk that the kid spit out again, and he had to correct the human's hold on Daichi when the young male looked as if he was allergic to the kid with the way he held Daichi with outstretched hands. 

"You are not opposed to having kids, are you? Careful with your late-night adventures then, because should it have escaped you in the heat of the moment, that is how babies are made." 

The man's eyes enlarged comically, completely flabbergasted and offended at the same time. 

"Oh Kisuke," Sousuke told the blond sweetly as soon as Urahara was in sight. "This is our neighbour." He didn't quite touch the young man when addressing him, but it must have resembled it from Kisuke's distance. 

'Success,' thought Sousuke when his lover's eyes narrowed while glancing at the human's state of undress in the entrance of their hotel room. 

He wasn't going to goad Kisuke too much - blackmailing each other was something of the past...- Sousuke took Daichi back into his own arms to hand him over to Kisuke, who clearly had difficulty in cheerfully giving the other a proper greeting, so the brunet salvaged the increasing jealousy with the following words: "Look who's happy to see daddy." 

At the handover, the blond gave Sousuke a full out kiss on the mouth, which normally they refrained from doing right in front of people - Kisuke at least insisted on it. - And that while it was Urahara who was so grabby, even in public, at the same time. 

"I'm sure Daichi is not the only one who's happy to see daddy," said Kisuke boldly before entering the room and leaving a bewildered neighbour and a wildly grinning Aizen behind. 

Before Sousuke followed the blond, - he was after all stoked at knowing he accomplished his goal, since judging by his lover's reaction, Kisuke was certainly performing tonight - he still needed to remind his neighbour, "Next time you come and ask me to quiet down the cries of my child, see to it that your girlfriend's cries do not wake up the entire hotel instead." 

"What was that all about?" Kisuke questioned as soon as they were alone again and the door of their hotel room was closed. 

"Daichi was a little too anxious about your absence-" 

"You know that is not what I meant." 

Sousuke smiled mischievously. "He came to borrow our shower since he was out of hot water. That is what you get for being a cheapskate and dumping us in a lousy hotel." 

"A good thing I know you're full of BS." Kisuke chuckled. 

"It was worth a try." 

"Do you think he was good-looking?" asked the blond while proceeding to bathe Daichi. 

Sousuke sat on the edge of the bathtub while Koichi was seated on his lap, who babbled nonsense with his twin. "Mmhmm," he confirmed. 

The guy was certainly not the type he would usually go for since his preference ran to blonds, but he rarely encountered lighter hair colours here in the real world. Still, his neighbour did not look bad either. "At least until he opened his mouth," Sousuke mused. 

The blond snickered and playfully said, "Well…" 

The brunet narrowed his eyes as Kisuke trailed off humorously, and he demanded the other finish that sentence. 

"Just figured out that I experience that train of thought with you regularly." The playful statement earned his blond lover a splash of water and he became soaked from head to toe. 

Maybe not exactly the smartest idea to do in front of the kids because they suddenly became very energised. Daichi tried to mimic him in splashing his daddy, although the water droplets did not even reach the edge of the tub... while Koichi tried to wiggle out of his lap to get into the tub. 

When Kisuke was about to retaliate, Sousuke held out Koichi in front of him explicitly to stop the other. "Don't; I'm holding our son." 

"Using him as a shield… so mean," conversed Kisuke to a babbling Daichi, who in reply made a sudden noise of excitement. The twins were always revved up during and right after a bath. 

When the playful atmosphere subsided somewhat, Sousuke commented, "You are actually rather early; I expected you to be much later what with your welcome party." 

"It was not a welcome party. Turns out it's actually done every Friday for some employees." 

"It is not going to turn into a habit, is it?" He was not keen on Kisuke going out every Friday; the blond still had a family waiting for him at home. It was actually the first time he used the word family to describe them. And it fit into his mind. 

"I'm somewhat obliged to go out drinking with my boss in this world though..." 

"But, you are not going to follow that custom, right?" It wasn't exactly a query since he was indirectly pushing the blond to answer in the direction Sousuke steered him into. 

"I can't say no each time either." 

Sousuke tried hard to keep his expression placid; he was not one of those clingy housewives. 

"I owe it to the company. They hired me even though I lacked concrete prior experience." 

"You have plenty of exp-" 

"Sousuke, my laboratory leader knows that, but the company exists of more than just Azuchi Akihiko. The rest are regular humans and those customs are ingrained into their culture. I can't disrespect them." 

He stood up with Koichi, going back into their hotel room as he heard Kisuke's drawl, "Sousuke..." 

"It is okay." 

The blond gave him a clear look of disbelief after he finished bathing their son. 

"Really, as long as it is not every Friday and you come back at a reasonable hour then I'm fine with it," Sousuke reassured him. 

His words soothed the blond's concerns because it wasn't further discussed after that. But it was definitely going to be brought up again in the future. 

The infants were both in their rompers, ready to go to sleep, which was the next big drama for Daichi. The kid, after all, hadn't had enough attention yet from Kisuke. Though the older they seemed to get, the better they began to understand how to stall for time... Plus Kisuke was easily persuaded by the smallest of protests. 

It was long since past the twins' usual bedtime before they were finally fast asleep, which meant it was about time for him and Kisuke to go to bed also. 

Not that he was going to let Kisuke sleep though - Sousuke needed some attention from daddy, too. 

He intentionally lay with his back facing the bathroom. The sheets were pulled up to his hip, but the covers left enough of his backside uncovered so that Kisuke would be presented with a view the blond couldn't possibly pass up. 

It was normally a solid plan because Kisuke could hardly keep his hands to himself in such a situation. Besides, Sousuke was certain that Kisuke had as much difficulty - if not more - at their lack of intimacy. 

Only, when Urahara came out of the bathroom, he turned off the light. Just perfect... The blond wouldn't be able to cooperate at all this way. 

Though there was still the chance that Urahara would be grabby enough and come manually in contact with Sousuke's surprise. 

Unfortunately, no such luck. 

Glancing behind him, Sousuke saw that the blond's back was turned to him and that Urahara had already claimed a comfortable position to fall asleep. 

That just would not do. 

The brunet turned fully around to push himself up against the blond's back. Sliding those long locks aside, Aizen had access to Kisuke's neck and received a delightful shiver from his lover in the process. 

Stepping it up a notch, Sousuke pressed feather like kisses along the sensitive nape of the other's neck. And the result: the blond wasn't lying as still anymore; he even began fidgeting a little. 

Knowing he caught Urahara's attention, Sousuke switched the feather like kisses to light nips which earned the brunet a whispered rasp of his name. From then on, he set his sight on mapping out how much of an influence his light teasing could evoke. 

As of living in the hotel room, his lover suddenly abandoned the idea of going to bed naked. A bummer though, as the brunet had grown so used to the feel of Kisuke's naked skin as opposed to the beginning of their 'relationship' where Sousuke was offended at the mere notion of the blond going completely bare - Aizen trailed his hands underneath the blond's sleeping shirt to caress along his hard stomach. 

He followed the trail of hairs that led to Kisuke's belly button and circled around the sensitive skin before letting his hand trail back down to bypass an organ of the blond that was suddenly, definitely, paying attention to Sousuke's touches. 

"Sousuke..." 

The whispered call of his name came only when the brunet had decided to change course again towards the blond's torso. 

"Mmh?" he chuckled sweetly. 

"The kids..." 

He wasn't about to go sexless until the kids were of age... "You just have to be quiet or generate a silencing kidou." 

Rubbing one of the peaked nubs of Kisuke's nipples had the other jerking back into Sousuke's front, which was a direct reminder for Urahara that Aizen was more than ready to go. 

Sousuke's other hand trailed down to take Kisuke's hard interest into his hand, had Kisuke not prevented his intent though... 

The blond turned on his back. "It's just the fact that it's completely inappropriate while our kids are in the same ro- What are you doing, Sousuke?" 

The brunet had briefly pretended to listen to Kisuke's reasoning, so as to distract the other long enough to get his captured hand back before Sousuke entirely disappeared underneath the sheets. 

"No. No…" 

Not that he listened to the blond's whines... And even though Kisuke clearly told him no, Urahara's legs accommodated Sousuke easily to fit him in between them. 

Besides, Kisuke's protests were over-exaggerated exclamations as if he was actually trying to convince himself... 

The twins couldn't look over the edge of their portable crib; neither could they voluntarily stand upright on their own, and they were both fast asleep. 

There really was no reason for Kisuke to pretend he didn't want it because as soon as Aizen was presented with the hard, hot flesh of Urahara's cock, Sousuke's nose was assaulted with the heady scent of his lover's arousal. 

The brunet decided to tease Kisuke further to see if he would still push Sousuke away: Sousuke would hardly pay attention to the hard length itself and rather focused on the spread thighs to nip on the hypersensitive pale skin that he knew by memory would be a little flushed by now. He made sure to always barely skim over Kisuke's rigid rod while doing so. 

Sousuke grabbed his own hard cock, tugging himself instead of giving the other a hand. 

The blond's protests by then were beginning to resemble not so silent encouragements. 

Whenever Sousuke evaded the thick length, he would receive a frustrated moan as a reaction. And the subtle jerks of Kisuke's hips were becoming bold rolls in order to steer Sousuke back to his cock. 

But when Sousuke's little game didn't let up, he was forcefully redirected from the blond's inner thighs. Kisuke grabbed himself with his hand to nudge his cockhead against Aizen's mouth. 

Sousuke felt the clear wet liquid of precum stain his lips. Still, he stubbornly kept his lips sealed tightly shut as the blond slid the tip along the seam of his mouth. Kisuke lifted the sheet not soon after - to guide Sousuke better to his prize perhaps - and the brunet gave a seductive and altogether mischievous glance as soon as their eyes locked in the darkened room. 

A second louder groan had Kisuke suddenly realise his own not so collected state anymore and a quick generation of a silencing kidou allowed them to seemingly exhibit their love once again. 

The feel of Kisuke's reiatsu almost drowning him had Sousuke swallowing back a moan of his own. His own hand even had to slow down its strokes, lest he come undone before it even started. Plus, it was his intention to tease Kisuke. 

Deciding to show at least a little bit of goodwill, the brunet flicked his tongue over the slit. His warm breath only served to incite Kisuke's determination to push his length in between Sousuke's lips. Sousuke, therefore, had to grab a hold of Urahara's wrist to stop the blond's hasty resolve in order to speak a full sentence without his speech being obstructed by anything. 

"You know, I think you might be right," Sousuke whispered, feigning understanding while making sure he stayed close enough so his warm breath washed over Kisuke's cock. "This is most inappropriate; I think it is better if we st-" 

He couldn't even pretend to leave Urahara hanging because as soon as the brunet tried to get up, his attempt was immediately foiled. 

Crawling underneath the sheets had more than a couple of strands from his gelled back hair completely out of order which became a good handgrip for Urahara to keep Sousuke firmly in place. "Oh no, you're not just gonna leave it at that." 

Finally giving in, Sousuke slathered the blond's cock with saliva: nipping the sides and circling the bulbous head with the tip of his tongue before allowing the other to pass through his previously tightly shut lips. 

Leisurely, Aizen took the other down while synchronising the strokes of his own cock to the rhythm. 

That rhythm stopped abruptly when Sousuke needed that hand to halt Kisuke's hips from roughly jerking into his mouth. When Kisuke reached the back of his throat, Sousuke's first instinct was to back away, but his lover's strong grip in the brunet's hair remained steady and unrelenting. 

So even if he could manually prevent Kisuke from thrusting deeper, Kisuke's hand kept Sousuke firmly in place. 

Forgetting he could breathe through his nose, the brunet panicked and pinched Kisuke's thigh fiercely which immediately relieved Urahara's firm grip. 

He took in big gulps of air in a way to ease up the ache in the back of his throat. The night on the light stand was switched on by Kisuke not a second later and the sudden flash of light enhanced the blond's apologetic look. 

It wasn't Kisuke's forceful attempt in making Sousuke deep throat him that scared Aizen, but the fact that he was still highly aroused at that point. The forced action only got him closer to the edge, but it was at the edge of his boundaries at the same time. It's like he subconsciously craved to be overpowered, to be challenged and put in his place, though to be entirely dominated was also something he had bad memories of. 

Not that Kisuke would ever do this with ill intent, in fact, Sousuke desired for Kisuke to pull the reigns a little tighter at times. 

"Sousuke, that is not wha-" 

He stopped Kisuke's vocal apology with a deep kiss to make it clear to his lover that he was more than fine. And he corroborated that proof by letting Kisuke get a good grip around Sousuke's weeping need. 

When Urahara simply disengaged from their kiss and stood up without further ado, Sousuke was afraid he needed to convince Kisuke some other way. But he needn't have to say anything though because the blond pulled back the drawer of the nightstand to take out a familiar tube. 

Seeing the blond disappear into the bathroom with the tube of lube, Sousuke recognised it as his cue to follow. 

Sousuke divested himself of the rest of his sleeping clothes in front of Kisuke in a manner he hoped his lover found seductive. And judging by the blond's sudden need to grab a hold of his hard cock, it was more than appreciated. 

Kisuke began to jerk himself off and made a subtle motion to Sousuke. 

The brunet figured the other was expecting more of a show. It was one thing to tease Kisuke in the dark, but in a fully lit bathroom where Sousuke could see his own reflection - Kisuke's wild grab in his hair showed how much of a mess was left of his slicked back look and his perfectionistic tendencies were practically screaming to fix that – it was a bit difficult to simply shove aside all his inhibitions. And he refused to come across as shy. 

But his casual confident charm was no longer visible either... 

What was Kisuke expecting exactly? Plus, expectations versus reality do not always match. He would probably end up looking awkward... 

With an uncertain glance, he quickly scanned the bathroom and decided the best way to seduce his lover was far away from that mirror so as to not be confronted by any failed attempts. Even better, he simply bent over the edge of the bathtub - after snatching the tube of lube out of Kisuke's free hand. 

His backside was facing Urahara - one of the blond's most favoured assets of his anyways - and he didn't have to look Kisuke square in the eye this way. 

He generously applied the liquid to coat his fingers. Reaching back with his lubed hand, Sousuke bent a little more through his knees and stuck his ass just a tad bit more up in the air to perfect his position. The brunet let his other hand join its counterpart's excursion in the back to pry apart his cheeks, giving Kisuke a lewd view and indirectly giving his lubed-up hand better access. 

A good thing he was already sufficiently pliable himself because he couldn't push the first finger deeper than the second knuckle. But, Sousuke was still glad for the support of the edge of the bathtub, because, with both hands busy in the back and his head low to the bottom of the tub, his balance would have otherwise presented a challenge. Though his harsher breathing wasn't caused by any exertion... 

Working another finger in, Sousuke kneaded the other asscheek noticeably. For one, to excite Kisuke into the action, but also it helped make sliding the second finger into his clenching hole easier. 

"Kisuke..." Sousuke glanced back, trying to see if his show evoked the sort of influence he was trying to arouse. "Could you-" 

Only to be directly presented by a highly excited blond that stood right behind him, smouldering grey eyes focused on Sousuke's hands. "Keep going..." 

The rough command shoved aside some of his earlier hesitations and the brunet fervently worked his fingers in further. 

A loud gasp emerged from within Aizen when Urahara slapped his other asscheek to join Sousuke's hand in kneading the flesh. At first, Sousuke tried to keep those embarrassing noises at bay, - they bounced loudly off the bathroom tiles - before remembering his neighbour's compassion. From then on, he made sure to act it out more, without any difficulty in faking his moans, since they simply came out willingly. 

It didn't take long before both of Kisuke's hands were on his ass and the brunet could feel the tip of Kisuke's cock thrusting gradually against the back of his thigh. Sousuke's answer was to reposition himself so one arm supported his weight on the edge of the tub. Kisuke's thrusts weren't reiatsu enhanced, but the brunet still fell forward with each nudge. 

He dislodged his fingers to grab Kisuke's cock and rubbed the hard length against his entrance which made Urahara groan in approval. Smirking at his lover's eagerness, Sousuke was ready to push Kisuke's cock inside. 

Though the blond apparently wasn't ready yet: he pulled Sousuke's hand off to shove his cock in between the brunet's cheeks, giving him a buttjob as it was called. 

The thrusts quickened by then and Sousuke was thankful for the cool ceramic of the tub against his forehead because Urahara was set on returning the favour of teasing him. 

The slick length repeatedly passed through the cleft of his ass. Sometimes, Kisuke would tease the brunet's puckered hole, but teasing nudges was all it remained as. "Kisuke." His voice was low and didn't even closely resemble a command. 

"Mmh?" The mimicked nonchalance that Sousuke used earlier was now being used against him as a definite statement that Kisuke was doing this on purpose. And he decided to incite Kisuke's reactions by trying to manually steer Kisuke's cock back to the right place; however, his wrist was captured on time once again. "What is it that you want, Sousuke?" 

'Please do not make me say that out loud,' the brunet thought desperately. He refused to say anything of that nature. 

Sousuke's resolve to stay silent cracked under pressure when Kisuke slapped his cock against the brunet's ass. The wet sound of Kisuke's length meeting his entrance made a vulgar squelching noise. 

The brunet tried to hide his flustered face in the crook of his arm. 

"Sousuke, what do you want?" Kisuke repeated. 

The deep moan that left him was merely the result of Urahara sliding into him without warning and certainly not because he couldn't control himself anymore... Sousuke, after all, had perfect control over both body and soul - well... he might have had that in one point of his life... 

When the blond slipped out again, Sousuke sighed in frustration. Although, it resembled more of a wanton moan which only provoked Urahara to do that a couple of more times... 

That was truly beginning to drive him mad... 

"Just..." The brunet knew that Kisuke wouldn't be satisfied with that single word, so Sousuke pushed fiendishly back whenever the blond decided to tease him again by just barely slipping in. There was no way that Urahara would be able to keep that up for long without losing control. 

With the blond fully lodged inside of him, Aizen started up a rhythm of moving back and forth. 

He glanced explicitly behind him, over his shoulder, to gaze into those grey eyes and murmured lowly, "Please, won't you just move?" He wasn't reduced to a begging mess, in fact, he didn't even need to lower his pride by stating filthy words because that was all the encouragement Urahara needed. 

He felt the blond's busy hands settle firmly on his hips instead before Kisuke started to take over the rhythm. The thrusts turned deeper and Kisuke's thick length didn't leave his snug entrance anymore, intention set on reaching the peak, slowly. 

Because the still somewhat languid rolls betrayed that they weren't in a hurry per say. It was comfortable sex, despite the hot heavy touches and the rather uncomfortable position. 

The gentle movements were a nice change to their normally rapid love. 

His body rocked back and forth on autopilot due to the deep thrusts, but the brunet needn't have to scramble any available surfaces for purchase anymore. They were simply taking their time after such a long neglect of not satisfying their physical needs. 

The brunet felt one of Urahara's hands leave their place on his hips and heard the cap of the tube of lube being opened again. A moment later Kisuke's warm slick hand wrapped around Sousuke's cock and he gasped out in pleasure loudly. 

The sudden attention on his nether region pushed the ache for release closer to the forefront of his mind. 

Rocking back into Kisuke's tight fist spurred the blond to step up the pace. Quick snaps of Urahara's hips took over their slow love and the rhythmic strokes of Kisuke's hand became unsteady, more focused on trying to reach his own completion. 

Sousuke pushed Kisuke's hand to the side and took over to replace the blond's irregular pulls. Just in time, since Urahara decided to practically slam into him from then on, dead set on reaching his orgasm, which he achieved not long after. The quick jerks of the other's hips plus the loud groan was enough of a hint before Sousuke felt the actual proof of Kisuke's release fill his insides. 

Sousuke's hand quickened to follow in his partner's high and the eruption of bliss came abruptly when Kisuke grabbed a hold of the mess that consisted of his gelled hair to yank Sousuke back upright and give him a deep kiss. 

The brunet didn't know if the lingering ache of his lover's sudden yank was the result of his orgasm or if it was because of the new position: Kisuke's cock still hadn't softened yet and the length had struck the sensitive bundle of nerves unexpectedly. 

He wasn't even fully recovered before the blond asked amusedly, "And? Did daddy give you enough attention?" 

The brunet wanted to swat at the other for that remark, but settled on a low murmur of, "I don't know... you have a lot of nights to catch up on." 

Kisuke's lips connected with his again and the brunet saw his lover grin into their lip lock out of the corner of his eye. "Oh Sousuke, you're going to regret saying that." 

Which was probably true, but he smirked back nonetheless, challenge accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fun-fact: The Taira clan was one of the four important clans during the Heian period of Japan, and its crest was a Swallowtail butterfly, so that's why I used the name for the royal family here.


	14. Chapter 14

Normal POV  
_****Past****_

 **Chapter 14**

Life was going great. 

It had been three and a half months since fleeing Soul Society and everything was slowly falling into place. The Urahara shop was finally sold, and Sousuke and Kisuke recently moved into a small house, a place they found relatively easily after hunting down every possible ad. 

And you can bet that from the moment the three-month mark of Kisuke's employment passed, Sousuke was the first to scavenge through those ads. And, okay, eventually it was also the brunet who had the last word about which property they were going to rent, but it was cosy, very modern -a must for his majesty- and not unimportant: within Kisuke's budget. 

Everything was situated on the ground level, besides an attic which Kisuke claimed to store away all his experiments -and this time secured tightly shut, thank you very much, despite Aizen's annoyance... 

The two bedrooms were relatively the same size, though the larger of the two -Kisuke and Sousuke's room- could only just fit their bed. So, it wasn't exactly the Grand Palace, but his high maintenance boyfriend was content with it. 

Kisuke still stood by his point that the measurements for their new king size bed were a little too big for the room. Seriously, who else was Aizen expecting to join them in the bedroom? Because the blond would have been just fine with a standard bed or even a futon... 

And aside from their usual quarrels, their relationship was running smoothly as well. 

Urahara got off at his stop; he favoured using public transportation more than anything else. He still used Shunpo now and then, -mostly when he was running late- since the subway stop was practically in front of their door. Really convenient for Aizen, so his lover could go out and let off some steam from time to time... 

As he neared their small townhouse, he was careful to be silent as he turned the key. But his mission to sneak into the house and surprise his lover and their two 9 ½-month-old rugrats failed since the twins seemed to be expecting him as soon as the blond rounded the corner into the main room. 

He quickly put a finger to his lips to signal to the twins that they needed to remain quiet because Sousuke's back was still turned to him, seemingly unaware of Kisuke's presence while explaining something to Daichi and Koichi. 

But just as he was about to cover Sousuke's eyes, the brunet unexpectedly turned around, backfiring Urahara's plan since the blond almost jumped at the sudden action of his lover himself. 

"I don't think so, pal," Sousuke teased amusedly. "You forget that I carried two living sensors." He motioned simultaneously at their sons, who were already crawling off the couch to get to Kisuke. 

The blond scooped the two little ones up mid-crawl, both on an arm. He made motions of diving onto the ground with the help of Shunpo -another thing Flashstep came in handy for: playtime with the kids- until they were both a giggling mess and sufficiently greeted. 

The blond put them back on the couch and swooped in to steal a kiss from Sousuke. "I'm gonna start dinner." He patted Sousuke on the rear before proceeding to head to the kitchen. 

Household chores could still evoke a war between him and the brunet, but cooking is something Kisuke would rather continue to do by himself. The dishes Sousuke came up with betrayed fragrantly -before one could even take a bite- that they were swiftly prepared, practically instant meals so his lover didn't need to spend too much time on cooking. And he wasn't even talking about the taste yet... 

Kisuke could sum it up as part of Aizen's character: sudden impulses that made no sense whatsoever, besides to Aizen himself, to whom it was all well planned out beforehand, allegedly. 

No, he would rather keep his lover out of the kitchen. 

The brunet was basically only tasked with taking care of their kids, -which was thankfully not a huge incitement for an argument any more- and the house. Though respectfully that last chore was their main point in discussions, especially the way Sousuke ironed their clothes, or better yet, exactly lacked in fulfilling the part of ironing. And suspiciously, it was mostly Kisuke's clothes... 

As difficult as it was to influence his lover to help around the house, Kisuke couldn't exactly complain. He fully understood that it was a huge adjustment in comparison to the life of Lord of Hueco Mundo. But, now that Urahara was also aware of Aizen's past and came to understand that the brunet wasn't born with two left hands, -Aizen was after all a maid at one point in his life and therefore used to household chores- the other was undoubtedly taking advantage of the situation by hoping that Kisuke would do everything. 

The brunet could stay as stubborn as he wanted because Kisuke was not going to give in. They could walk around in the dust and live in a clutter-filled house for all he cared, -not that it would ever get that far since the twins' health needed to be taken into consideration- but, he needed to draw the line somewhere. Because Sousuke was sneaky when it came to exploiting someone. 

He looked up, midway into preparations for dinner when his lover appeared in the doorway, together with Koichi, who held Sousuke's hand for support to take tiny steps. Daichi, on the other hand, stepped into the kitchen, still on wobbly legs, but completely independent. And he and Sousuke had always thought that Koichi would take the first steps independently... 

"They're extremely curious of what daddy's doing." 

Kisuke chuckled and squatted down for a second to give them some attention and was rewarded by actual sounds that were beginning to form something along the lines of words but were not quite understandable yet. 

When Sousuke was ready to urge the kids back out of the kitchen, Kisuke told him, "Hold on, I know what they came in here for, to get a little appetiser," and in so prevented Koichi from toppling over in the little one's fervent haste to loosen Sousuke's hold on his wrist, in an attempt to get to Kisuke. 

Urahara scooped up a little bit of the carrot and daikon salad with his chopsticks. The vinegar already had the texture of the vegetables nicely softened up. And he fed them both a piece which they practically wolfed down. 

"Now I know why they don't eat up everything when it's time to eat: because you're already feeding them bits and pieces beforehand." 

"Nonsense," Kisuke answered his lover before refocusing on the twins. "That father of yours is so concerned by little things; little does he know that there's still enough room in these tiny tummies." He tickled both at the mention of their bellies. 

"Mmhmm," Sousuke murmured disagreeably. 

"I see you watching me, love, but I assure you that the salad is cut up in very thin and tiny slices. It's easy to simply swallow it down." The blond could practically hear his lover's thoughts with the look Aizen was giving him. 

When Koichi pointed at the bowl of salad with a yell of, "Da!" and held out his mouth wide open like a baby bird that awaited food, Kisuke put the bowl safely back on the counter. "That's got to wait until dinner time before your father bans poor old me from the bedroom." 

Sousuke smirked in delight. "Now that is an idea." 

Kisuke quickly stood back up again and steered the little ones back in the direction of Sousuke while muttering, "Out of the kitchen; we can't let that happen." 

-0- 

It was time to put Daichi and Koichi into bed, practically the hardest tribulation they had to face each day because the kids never wanted to go to sleep. 

The two expensive baby cribs -where their kids hadn't even spent one night- were stored away in the attic because ever since their move the twins were able to climb and tried everything to get back out of their cribs. Also, the expensive variant wasn't adjustable and was only meant for the first few months of infancy so Kisuke had to buy new ones: fully convertible cribs that accommodated the growth of their children. 

But, even with the side rails at full height, Daichi and Koichi tried everything to get out of their little prisons. -or that's what Aizen dubbed their beds as the honey maple coloured wood just wasn't to Sousuke's liking at all. 

Kisuke was tucking their babies into bed for the umpteenth time while Sousuke was impatiently tapping his hand above the light switch, already tired of playing the twins' games. 

And while it was normally only Daichi that cried whenever it was time to go to bed, Koichi had decided to mimic his brother from now on. 

"Kisuke, leave it. You're only making it worse," the brunet advised. 

Oh, Kisuke knew that they were doing it deliberately, but the fact that he still hadn't found a cure for Daichi's curse haunted him to no ends. At the tiniest cry or movement from Daichi's pressure, Kisuke was alert and needed to go check up on them. It was simply an instinctual drive that he couldn't help but give in to. 

"Goodnight," the brunet promptly stated after switching off the light and leaving the room. 

Urahara switched on their nightlight but couldn't take more than two steps to follow his lover out of the door before the two were peeking above the railing again, whining to hopefully be taken out of bed. 

And there was nothing wrong with either of them: their reiatsu levels were fine; they weren't coming down with anything at all, yet bedtime remained a disaster. 

He put a glowing hand to their foreheads, just to check, but there was no indication of any fever. 

Kisuke was just in the midst of tucking in Daichi after he had secured Koichi under his blankets when Sousuke reappeared. 

"You're still here? You're not planning on spending your whole weekend here, mmh?" 

"I'll be there in a second." 

"Go to bed, Koichi," came Sousuke's strict command as soon as the little one freed himself and was attempting to pull himself up on the crib's rails. Granted the twins couldn't climb out just yet, but their efforts were surely there. 

Their son mumbled something incomprehensible before throwing his favourite blanky out of the crib, as if he could make a statement with that, and let himself drop back down on the mattress. 

The brunet pulled his shoulders up, shrugging off Koichi's behaviour, picked up the kid's comfort blanket, and told the little one a clear, "You're not seeing this again." Then he turned to face Kisuke, "I'm going to take a shower. When I'm done and you're still playing along to stall time, I'll put them to bed. And be assured, it's done in ten seconds when I do it." After the warning, he stomped back out. 

The tone only helped make the situation worse; Koichi understood enough that he just lost his blanky and he joined in on his brother's waterworks. 

Sousuke's impatience was tolerable as long as it wasn't directed at their children. And yes, taking care of kids, twins at that, was as stressful as a fulltime job, but the brunet needed to be reminded now and then to mellow down that attitude. 

Kisuke grabbed a spare comfort blanket from out of their matching closet, gave it to Koichi to shush the kid's cries, and dipped Daichi's pacifier into honey so the other twin's cries quit for a second as well, before practically running out of the nursery. 

Oh, it hurt to hear their cries resound through the walls, but he needed to take a step back sometimes because they were fully aware that Kisuke would give in to their crying fits. 

He practically slumped over to the main room and turned up the TV, though the volume was low enough that he could still hear them. After five minutes, only one of the twins was still desperately crying for attention, and after five more, the noise stopped. 

Kisuke went to check -an automatism really- but they were finally fast asleep. It almost made the blond exhausted himself; he was going to have to tell Sousuke about the curse one of these days because the secrecy was making him immensely restless. 

Okay, so it wasn't all going perfect at all, but that's the sort of difficulty that anyone faced in a household. It's not all rainbows and rose-coloured happy times. 

"Do you hear that?" his lover asked him after his shower, clad in only Kisuke's coat, which the brunet held closed with one hand while still showing off a decent amount of skin. 

"What?" Kisuke questioned back, completely focused on his lover's state of undress instead of the words that came out of Sousuke's lips. 

"Exactly," the brunet replied. "Sweet silence." 

"Comfortable?" Kisuke motioned to the dark green piece of clothing his lover donned. 

"Quite." 

"Don't tell me that you threw away Koichi's blanky." 

Sousuke approached his seated form. "What do you take me for? Of course not; it needed to be washed anyways, so it's in the hamper." 

The brunet hauled the blond off the couch and put a towel on the seating area before shoving Kisuke back down. He slid onto Kisuke's lap next, facing the blond while placing a bottle of erotic massage oil on the coffee table. 

Kisuke caressed his palms along Sousuke's thighs before letting his hands rest on the plump flesh. 

Since carrying Daichi and Koichi, the brunet had packed some meat on his thighs and ass, not that the blond bemoaned that change. On the contrary, Aizen's ass bounced mesmerizingly back each time Kisuke thrust into that pliant body. Though it's just gotten softer, nothing drastic in Kisuke's opinion. 

After hiking up the blond's sleeves, the brunet lathered up his hands with the oily liquid, then grabbed one of Kisuke's wrists and massaged the liquid into Urahara's skin. 

"I thought you might be in need of some relaxation." 

Kisuke grinned, "Desperately." 

The brunet smoothly stroked over Kisuke's arm, warming up his muscles. His lover's movements worked the oil from the tips of Kisuke's fingers to his wrist, along his arm, and back down again. 

When his palm and the underside of his arm received the same gentle treatment, Kisuke murmured appreciatively, "Feels good." 

"And it's only about to get better," Sousuke whispered back. He held the blond's hand palm down and began applying pressure with two thumbs, making short firm strokes and squeezes that were being worked in between Kisuke's fingers. 

"When did you get good at massaging someone, or should I ask where?" 

"Perhaps it is not you with the magic touch, but me," baited his lover playfully. 

"Ah! Perhaps," the blond ground out after Aizen pushed a particular pressure point, to which Sousuke moved back to the inside of Kisuke's arm and palm. 

When the brunet was done paying attention to his left arm, Kisuke let Sousuke switch the thorough attention to its counterpart. 

"I could get used to this," he expressed when Aizen was silent for a while, completely transfixed on stroking out the pressure. He thrust his hips when the one on his lap only murmured in agreement, making it well known that there was another part of him begging for attention. And in doing so, he successfully opened the coat his lover wore, exposing a great deal in the process. 

The brunet ground his hips down in answer, "I know; I can feel that." 

"Not that you're in better shape," Kisuke chuckled while flicking the tip of Sousuke's hardened cock teasingly with his free hand. 

The constant motions of Sousuke's ministrations stopped for a second and the brunet tucked the cloth closed again. Though even covered up, the other's cock tented the fabric explicitly by now. 

"Shh," Sousuke hushed his chuckles. "For one second keep your mind out of the gutter." 

"My mind?" Kisuke laughed, "Who is it that's practically pointing at me to be taken care of?" His laughter died down when the brunet decided to pinch the sensitive flesh of his upper inner arm. "Alright, alright, continue that massage." 

Sousuke unbuttoned Kisuke's shirt, slid it off his shoulders afterwards, and pushed against Kisuke's torso so he lay completely flat on the towel with his legs propped up on the couch as well. 

The sensual touches continued over his upper arms, shoulders, and collarbone. 

Urahara gave himself completely over to his lover's touch as he physically felt the pressure subsiding when Sousuke dug his thumbs in the hollows directly underneath his collarbone. The brunet slid his hands, fresh with another dollop of oil, over Kisuke's torso next. And as the blond felt his lover continue down a course of blond hairs on his way up again, Urahara warned, "If you're planning on a full body massage, it's best that you change direction now, or you'll find yourself on your back." 

"Turn over then." 

"Aren't you gonna do my legs? They're in need of some relief too." 

His lover raised a brow in question when Kisuke made a signal to Sousuke to face the other direction. "I know what you're planning," responded his lover to Kisuke's grin while slowly accommodating the blond's request. 

Urahara helped the other back down to straddle his lap, this time with his back turned to Kisuke. But as his lover had told him, the brunet was aware indeed. He murmured an, "I knew it," as soon as Urahara grabbed a hold of the oil to lather his own hands, which delved underneath the coat, straight to Sousuke's ass. 

Despite the slightly irritated murmur, Sousuke still aided him in pushing aside the fabric so Kisuke had better access. 

"You might be good with the rest, but I happen to excel in butt massages," Kisuke replied happily, hands kneading firmly into Sousuke's pliant flesh, giving it a nice sheen that enhanced each buttock prominently. "You know what I call it?" 

"I do not think I even want to know." 

The blond firmed his grip when Sousuke's breathing became a little more pronounced. 

"Finger deep massage," he informed the brunet as he simultaneously slid a finger into his lover. The body on top of his lap straightened rigidly and completely stopped working in the oil on Kisuke's legs. 

"I... I have no words for you." 

"I made you speechless? If that's not a feat..." 

The second finger that joined the other's exploration earned Kisuke a breathy, "Ngh..." 

"And I'm sure I can find your prostate to enact similar sweet sounds out of you." He kneaded Sousuke's lower back with the hand that wasn't fingering deep into his lover in order to relax Sousuke's posture somewhat. But the angle in which he pushed into his lover kept evoking jumpy spasms from the brunet. 

Grinning from ear to ear, Urahara twisted his fingers delightfully. 

"Stop your laugh-" 

"Weren't you busy with a massage yourself? Or could it be that I'm just that good that your mind is completely lost in the gutter now?" 

The warm hands that were massaging Kisuke's thighs returned to do their job, though clearly not as consistent as before. 

"You're so full of yourself," came his lover's deep murmur. 

"In a second, you're going to be full of me." 

"Oh, just...hush up!" Sousuke's speech sped up in an instant to be replaced by shuddering gasps when Kisuke changed tactics from slow exploration to hammering thrusts and was effectively rewarded with those sweet cheeks bouncing to the rhythm. "Stop, stop, stop!" the brunet gasped out in a needy way and grabbed a hold of Kisuke's wrist firmly to stop the thrusts. 

"Pain?" 

The brunet shook his head. "Too much." 

When Sousuke finally released his grip, the blond slowed down his fingering. 

The brunet took another shuddering gasp to find his breath again and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. "I can already use a shower again." Sousuke afterwards grabbed a hold of his own cock, mind no longer focused on massaging the blond. 

Kisuke tsked when the other's heightened concentration zoned completely in on his own pleasure. Not that he needed the brunet's attention solely on him, because Kisuke could enjoy the sight of his lover writhing on his fingers. Sousuke's head was bent in the slightest and his mouth was opened in a quiet moan, truly an enticing sight. 

Urahara was mesmerised by the back and forth strokes of his lover's hand; even though Sousuke's back blocked the sight itself, the rhythm on its own spurred on the need to join in on the fun. Carefully disengaging his fingers, Kisuke grabbed another dollop of the massage oil before slicking up his cock with the slippery liquid. He then pulled Sousuke a little closer so he could give the brunet a nudge in the right direction. And the instant his need brushed Aizen's opening, his lover slid down on his length without a second thought. 

And while sex became their only activity they could participate in together to get a moment's rest from the kids -going out for a night was no longer an option with two infants- it was at the same time truly beautiful how aligned their bodies were: completely in sync with each other's needs and wants and entirely confident on leaving every mask behind. 

But, just as sweet and romantic their one on one time could turn out, just as fast it could turn around and change the mood in an instant, especially with infants. 

The blond was already on high alert when one of the kids gave a kick, but whenever Daichi cried out unexpectedly, the heated love zone evaporated like mist before the sun, and Kisuke's parental instincts kicked in naturally. 

He had all but shoved Aizen forcefully off of him, just barely hearing the pained gasp, and was already throwing on clothes to check up on their son. 

-0- 

Kisuke was acting weird, and not just his lover's normally quirky behaviour, but there was something else going on. 

Every waking moment was spent on their children, which was fine because the arrival of babies meant a living entity -and in their case, two- came to stand in between the couple. 

But this was ridiculous. 

Kisuke was keeping something from him; Sousuke could practically feel it. This went beyond jealousy since he was used to Kisuke dividing his attention and being no longer the blond's main centre of focus. 

Sousuke did the same with their twins after all; their children were the brunet's number one priority as well. And it made him agitated that he didn't know for sure whether Kisuke was just paranoid or whether there was something going on that the brunet didn't know. 

And he absolutely despised being kept in the dark! 

The second everything went silent, Kisuke would shuffle back to Sousuke. 

He felt two hands snaking around his waist, and those wandering hands glided just as easily back underneath his coat as if they could pick up where they left off. 

The brunet made a clear sound that translated into his current mood for Kisuke to back off, but that naturally fell on deaf ears... 

Sousuke snapped his head back to look the blond in the eye to tell him directly, "No," as if the single command would snap Kisuke out of his lustful daze. Not that his withering glares still had much effect on the blond... 

In fact, it only heightened Urahara's intent to change Sousuke's mind. He, therefore, had to push the blond back and firmly tell him, "No means no with me; you should understand that by now!" 

The reaction came instantaneously: Kisuke threw up his hands, as if in surrender, and stepped back a couple of steps. 

Sousuke narrowed his eyes before accusing, "You're acting weird." 

He saw the other's surprised features turn into a frown. "I'm acting weird? Oh no, I get it; only when you want it." 

At first, Sousuke wasn't sure if the blond was serious and truly thought that that was the point of their conversation because the other was clearly avoiding the truth. And that's what made Aizen eager to bypass that provocation, even though, normally, that incentive was enough to evoke a war between them. 

"You're not telling me something." 

Kisuke was pretty much trapped by the direct statement, and his lover's grey eyes practically spilt its secrets with those dilated pupils. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

A standard answer, but Kisuke was a bad liar; well, in comparison to him anyways... 

"You do know." 

Kisuke's gaze fell enough to betray the guilt when his hat wasn't conveniently there to hide that expression. 

"I'm not going to beg you to tell me; I'm just disappointed because apparently, the demand for trust and truth only falls on one person in this relationship." 

The blond's eyes looked back up at him, ready to disagree, but no response followed... 

Sousuke nodded silently, "I'm revealing my soul for you; I'm unveiling everything...while you just..." 

Kisuke shook his head in disagreement and reached out for him, to which Sousuke sidestepped the other's embrace, finished with a cold, "Goodnight," and went in the direction of their bedroom, leaving the blond standing alone in the kitchen. 

Perhaps it was a better strategy than instantly exploding in Kisuke's face and demanding his right, but this was not a strategy; Sousuke was simply tired. While their twins slept through the night, he didn't: his past demons had caught up with him and he couldn't shake them off, especially at night. 

**** 

_The butterfly that was perched on Sousuke's wrist fluttered away in an instant when the brunet flinched at the sudden horn that went off in signal of the King's arrival._

_He watched the insect gracefully fly away to its freedom, -together with its counterparts that were previously enjoying the nectar of the only bush around- beyond the great thick walls that surrounded the Taira estate._

_He followed the sound of the music, straight to the square that was filled with rows and rows of guards. Watching from the sidelines, he could see that their postures were straightened, seemingly awaiting any instruction._

_Taira-sama was seated in front of the soldiers on a slightly elevated platform, conveniently looking down on them._

_Sousuke made sure he was out of sight, not that the master of the estate would pay any attention to his servants at the end of the square._

_The bigger chair/throne, that was normally reserved for Taira-sama was now occupied by the Soul King, and he held all of Taira-sama's attention now._

_Even from afar, and without glasses, -since he lost them in the dungeons- it was obvious that they were siblings: long dark hair, as black as the night, framed a chiselled jawline. And though he couldn't be sure about the similarities of the brothers' eye colour from his position, the strong features were somehow alike._

_Hikaru's presence seemed to be missing at first glance until he saw the other boy being beckoned over to the Soul King, but like the brat he was, Hikaru protested openly against greeting his majesty._

_Sousuke looked away from the display as soon as the guards brandished their swords in a particular position. That's when Sousuke noticed that they carried the zanpakuto that had been hidden in the dungeon; he was right after all!_

_He seated himself on the ground to watch them practice since now he had the chance to get as close as possible to those that had had Shinigami training -of course, Royal Guards were required to have more intensive training right after graduating the Academy._

_The battle cries and the demonstration of perfect sword mastery truly impressed him; the way the zanpakuto were handled, almost elegant in one moment, then with deadly intent in which they were displayed the next._

_But, it wasn't the zanpakuto alone that impressed Sousuke; one guard in particular really caught his eye. And it wasn't the young guy's sword techniques that fascinated the brunet, but his appearance. It's a hair colour unlike any other he had ever seen on anyone in the estate, and he could only describe it as a colour close to gold, although it was lighter than the metal._

_When the guard briefly looked his way, the man winked, which had Sousuke petrified as a stone by the simple acknowledgement. He was after all a servant and wasn't used to interacting with any other male besides Hikaru's insults. To be simply treated as an equal baffled him completely, -maybe he hadn't even interpreted the action in the right way since he had trouble with his vision without glasses- and because he didn't know how to react to that, the brunet frowned._

_The guard's chuckle amid demonstrating his skills offended Sousuke immediately._

_How rude that the other found Sousuke amusing for no apparent reason!_

_He stood up -done with watching the display- but kept looking back at the guard now and then. -just to make sure that he wasn't still laughing at Sousuke. - At the guard's backwards glance, Sousuke quickly looked straight ahead again, avoiding the gaze._

_Safely rounding the corner, he made sure to still his beating heart, just to peek from behind the wall to check if the golden-haired young man was still watching him._

_Not that he was, the guard was long since already focused on his duty again._

_"Sousuke-kun,"_

_The call of his name and a hand landing on his shoulder startled him out of his fascination._

_But it was only Akemi._

_She smiled apologetically. "I was wondering if you would join me in fishing?"_

_Sousuke instantly forgot about the guard to go along with Akemi. Fishing was an opportunity to enjoy a change of scenery, still situated on the estate, but the presence of the ocean made it feel less like he was cornered by walls on all sides._

_-Swimming to freedom was an inside joke between the maids, but unfortunately, the waters were guarded as well. -_

_"Are there many different hair colours on the other side?" Sousuke asked Akemi when they were peacefully seated just outside of the swampy terrain._

_Akemi would know since she wasn't born in captivity; she grew up outside of the estate and on the day she turned 16, she was sold to the Taira-clan._

_"Lots of; there's red, blue..."_

_Sousuke scowled, 'blue? That's a weird colour.'_

_"Orange, blond-"_

_"Blond?" Sousuke tried. Now that's a hair colour he hadn't heard of before._

_"The colour of the sun."_

_The sun was a better comparison than the one he made with gold, because it brought unconsciously the warmth of the rays upon him, not to mention that it brightened the brunet up in an instant at the thought of the big yellow ball up in the sky. Always shining, even on a rainy day, even though the sun wasn't visible._

_At the end of the day, the brightness of the sky would be taken over by the moon, another eternally active astronomical body, and Akemi's favourite! She would abandon fishing to start painting instead: always the moon's reflection on the water for some reason._

_Sousuke had given up on catching anything as well at that time, and rather spent his free time watching paint strokes leisurely being formed into a coherent and picturesque mirror of the landscape before them._

_Eventually, they had to go back, and since Akemi was beginning to show signs of being visibly fatigued due to her pregnancy, Sousuke volunteered to bring their caught fish to the kitchen inside of the estate. -Akemi was a kitchen maid and therefore allowed into the estate, as long as her entry related to her tasks._

_Everything was going alright; he had managed to sneak into the kitchen successfully, but as he was about to exit the estate, he overheard Hikaru being reprimanded by Taira-sama._

_"It's only but a small personal sacrifice. Man up! You'll be able to end up as his heir at some point; he has no interest in females, so he won't be procreating soon."_

_"I don't care! I'm not going to lower myself like a common courte-"_

_Sousuke had made the mistake of trying to avoid hearing any further information and drew the attention unceremoniously to himself by stumbling over a nearby brush and making a clattering noise when he came in contact with the bucket next to the broom._

_He rounded the corner to face the lord, instead of attempting to hide and be found anyways._

_What was the point of stalling his punishment when Taira-sama would discipline him either way?_

_"You," Hikaru scoffed while the lord of the estate made a motion to beckon Sousuke over._

_Up close in front of Hikaru he could see that the other boy had been crying and that his kimono had tears ripped into the expensive material._

_Hikaru's furious look cast directly at Sousuke had the brunet successfully avert his focus unto the ground instead._

_"Were you eavesdropping?" Taira-sama knelt, well below Sousuke's level -which was commonly not done by a lord, but Taira-sama liked to play games, especially the kind that reassured his servants first before the strike would come._

_"I wasn't."_

_Sousuke looked into the pitch-black eyes, which formed an understanding expression at Sousuke's silly lie._

_"I brought Akemi's fish to the kitchen since she's a little tired."_

_Taira-sama clucked his tongue, "Of course."_

_"Because of the pregnancy..." Sousuke added quietly when the Lord turned to look at his son. Hikaru only returned his father's look with a scoff of disbelief._

_The master of the estate turned his head back in Sousuke's direction. "She's not good for anything anymore. She doesn't do her job anymore; she doesn't satisfy me anymore... Is she still worth all the trouble?"_

_Sousuke didn't mean to bring Akemi into any difficulty... So, he nodded unsurely in disagreement: not that he thought that Taira was looking for any validation..._

_The master of the estate inspected his own fingernails disinterestedly and it was in that tiny spur of the moment that Sousuke forgot to keep an eye on Taira-sama, and the lord struck him unceremoniously in the face._

_"I think I'll be the judge of that," he told Sousuke flagrantly before standing back to his full height._

_Sousuke had one hand covering the burning spot just under his left temple, his own posture bent slightly._

_"Ask forgiveness."_

_Why? It's not his fault that they had been conversing in the middle of the hallway._

_"I did not mean to-"_

_"He thinks he's above that father." The brat only spurred his father on, instead of defending the only other kid that was close to his age in the estate..._

_"I don't! It's just-"_

_Hikaru spat in his face and mimicked his father's violence by striking him in his visage._

_Now normally, Sousuke would have defended himself whenever the other boy attacked him, but he was smart enough not to do that in front of Taira-sama._

_The master of the estate hushed his son before commanding Sousuke, "Ask for forgiveness." The tone was different and had no tolerance for any kind of nonsense._

_So, unless he obeyed, Taira's punishment would only get worse. And in the situation he was in now, all forms of negotiation would be useless._

_Sousuke sank down to his knees to bow low to the ground; his face was only inches from touching the ground, but not enough for the lord it seemed since he pushed Sousuke's face entirely flat against the surface. -At least it cooled his burning cheek..._

_"I'm sorry. I won't eavesdrop anymore."_

_He heard Taira-sama's disagreeing tut. "You're not begging me to forgive your rude disruption, but for talking back to me and disobeying my order."_

_That was not a good sign; Taira-sama wouldn't forgo Aizen's previous mistakes to focus solely on disrespect. He still did the master of the estate a favour by obeying his wish though. But when he was about to stand up again, Sousuke was halted from doing so by Taira's odd request._

_"Take off your shirt."_

_Even Hikaru looked at his father with a certain frightful glance, which more than unnerved the unsuspecting brunet._

_"Well?"_

_Whatever Taira was expecting, it diminished some of Aizen's nervousness with the help of Hikaru's seeming disagreement. Maybe the other boy would finally understand the unjust treatment Sousuke had to go through each day..._

_He silently cursed those naive thoughts when the revelation of Taira's plan promised an even greater punishment in itself._

_"Hikaru, how many whiplashes does a servant deserve after failing to comprehend basic rules such as, no entry into the estate?"_

_Hikaru's frightful expression slowly turned into gleeful delight. "Ten."_

_"And how much more when the servant fails to understand the saying, entry forbidden at all times?" the master of the estate procured Sousuke's glasses from out of his pocket, the ones he had lost in his haste to flee the dungeon._

_"I didn't mean to- I just followed to make sure-"_

_Taira hushed him kindly in a sympathetic manner while Hikaru responded, "Twenty whiplashes."_

_That's not what he had wanted at all! Sousuke began to shiver and stutter in trepidation because he had seen one of the maid's scars after such a punishment. Her flesh had been literally lashed away; it had taken weeks for the wounds to heal, and afterwards, it had left ugly scars that were impossible to dissolve with reiatsu. Not that anyone was allowed to heal the evidence of a punishment in the first place..._

_"I'm... so sorry."_

_"Oh, you will be," chuckled Taira. "By every lash, I assure you that sentence will sound even more convincing."_

_"I won't do it again; I promise." He knew somehow that it was too late to beg, but he would do anything to be spared from that._

_"I believe you." Taira still took out his zanpakuto. "Unfortunately, I don't have a whip at the ready, and I don't want to leave you shivering in trepidation for much longer, so this will do."_

_Sousuke had been flogged before, -and not only by Hikaru's nunchucks- a wooden bar had been brought down on the back of his thighs when he had severely beaten up Hikaru after one too many of the boy's taunts._

_But the hit of the iron hilt of the zanpakuto almost knocked all the breath out of his lungs on the first try. Even if it was just the handle, it weighted down the rest of the sword._

_"Will you count for me?"_

_He could barely breathe, let alone talk, but in fear of receiving worse, he gasped out, "...two..." the second time the hilt knocked the wind out of him._

_The master of the estate wasn't content with just Sousuke struggling to count, no he had to gasp out full sentences apparently, so Taira urged, "I want to hear you say, I'm sorry Taira-sama. I will never disobey you again."_

_And as Sousuke was repeating that sentence to fulfil the master's ego, he was aware that he was sobbing vehemently._

_"Sounds better, but not yet meaningful enough," judged Taira-sama before putting the strength of reiatsu behind the hit and the zanpakuto made a whooshing sound, -similar to a whip- created by the force._

_Sousuke was all but curled up at that point in order to escape the flog, but he was luckily spared from the forceful impact when another servant interrupted Taira._

_"Taira-sama, I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's Akemi; she's gone into labour."_

_Sousuke's head perked up at the mention of that name, while the master of the estate sheathed his zanpakuto in an instant to go in the direction of the servants' shed._

_The brunet couldn't see clearly without glasses, and his tear-streaked face only worsened his eyesight, but he was aware that it was best to stay down as long as Hikaru was still in the neighbourhood since, under normal circumstances, the master's son would take over the punishment. But, as Sousuke had observed earlier, Hikaru didn't seem like his usual self. He even dismissed Sousuke with a spewed out, "Let that be a lesson."_

_As soon as the other was gone, Sousuke struggled to straighten up. He found the strength while thinking of Akemi. Taira-sama generally wasn't happy about the news of baby boys being born, so the arrival of Akemi's son was surely a thorn in his eye._

_He didn't try to think of the pain and instead fuelled his determination by thinking back on what happened to Chiyo: Sousuke couldn't possibly let that happen to Akemi, too!_

_He grabbed his glasses that Taira had thrown down, put them back on, and followed the lord to the shed. But he didn't even need to go that far when he saw Akemi being dragged down the same route as Chiyo._

_That was definitely an alarm bell and from then on, he threw caution to the wind. It didn't even matter what kind of punishment he would receive for disobeying the master's rules a second time because she was the only form of support he still had._

_"Akemi!" he yelled, making it particularly clear to Taira that he was on his way._

_When guards of the Taira estate intervened on his way to the master, Sousuke let his reiatsu fluctuate wildly, influencing the force behind his struggles. When that didn't directly help his position, he rabidly bit down into the guard's wrist which loosened his hold enough to break free._

_Going after Taira, the lord strangely disallowed any other guard to stop Sousuke's advances; it almost seemed as if the other had just been trying to win time to put up a remarkable distance between them, but at the same time he urged Sousuke to follow him anyways._

_Seeing them enter the thick mysterious gates that had frightened Sousuke the other day, the brunet set full course in the direction of the dungeon room; he wasn't about to let his fear stop him now!_

_Entering the underground room, he took in his surroundings briefly: the only thing present in the room was a giant altar and in front of it laid a book upon a granite stand flanked by two giant candles. As soon as he was close to Akemi, Taira forcefully put a stop to any of Sousuke's movements with the help of a high kidou spell. Something Sousuke could struggle against as much as he wanted or fruitlessly try to dispel it with his own pressure, but as long as hadn't gone to the Academy to be taught defensive spells, he could pretty much only sit back and observe._

_He yelled at the lord to leave Akemi alone when he saw Taira binding her onto the altar; not that he listened to Aizen's or Akemi's cries._

_A simple, plain-looking sword was laid down next to Akemi's struggling form on the surface of the altar before Taira took his position in front of the book. "Since you want to be a bystander of the ritual, be my guest," he told Sousuke calmly and afterwards started reciting a spell in a foreign language._

_Dark black smoke -known as Demon energy- spawned out of the sword, forming a misty cloud above Akemi's stomach to merge together with some of Taira's reiatsu. The cloud delved right into Akemi's baby bump and her screams resonated throughout the dungeon as it almost tore apart the energy of the unborn child, until Akemi's screaming stopped._

_In fact, she quieted down completely as the black smoke reappeared a moment later, fed with the child's spirit, and it returned to the plain-looking sword to form a fully transformed katana with a green handle._

_Sousuke realised that Akemi's sudden stillness meant that her spirit had passed on, and though his shackles loosened, -and he could technically try to attack Taira- he ran to her cold dead corpse on the altar instead, hugging her close. He cried tears of hatred and pain as the lord simply turned his back on him._

_The brunet gathered her closer and though he came into contact with the zanpakuto only briefly, it was enough to feel a familiar energy responding to his grief..._

**** 

Sousuke awoke in a startled manner, heart and Hogyoku racing to keep his functions under control and recover as fast as possible from the nightmare. He desperately felt around for the blond and felt a slight pang of regret when he couldn't find Kisuke next to him. 

Maybe the different approach had scared the blond off. 

It's odd how the bad dreams seemed to find an easier way to disturb him whenever Kisuke and he didn't feel as close...as if his partner served as a gate to keep the Demons at bay. 

A ridiculous notion for sure, but it was enough of an excuse to go in search of his lover. 

The sight of the other's barely awakened state on the couch was proof enough to swallow his pride for once and admit to needing the other. 

"You weren't planning on sleeping here, were you?" His voice and sudden presence had Kisuke stretching to feign a rejuvenated appearance. 

At Sousuke's frown though, his lover confessed, "I was planning to since you made it rather clear that you wanted to be left alone." 

"That was anything but a warning for you to go away; if I had wanted to be alone, rest assured, you would have known." 

"Are you alright?" 

The question was probably related to if he had calmed down from their previous argument, or that was at least his first thought... but Kisuke's searching eyes betrayed that he had noticed the instability of the Hogyoku. 

"I missed your presence next to me," he whispered quietly, but it was loud enough. 

Kisuke's smile radiated throughout the room and the blond moved instantly to get Sousuke into his arms. Wrapped tightly in Kisuke's secure embrace, it didn't so much matter anymore what they were fighting about earlier. Kisuke would tell him, eventually. 

The rest of the night, guarded by Kisuke's embrace, it kept the Demons at bay.

**Author's Note:**

> **Currently discontinued.**
> 
> I had someone asking me for an update on Rehabilitate, so I'm going to put my reasons for the decision on discontinuing this fic public, since it would not be fair if I kept those that are still interested in it, in the dark. 
> 
> I lost my drive on updating this fic, I have little time to write, so when I do get the chance to work on my fics I rather work on one that's really popular so to speak. Rehabilitate is kind of the runt of the litter, since it's a fic with little reception. I love the fic myself, honestly, it's my favourite out of all. It's also the one that's sketched out far into the future of the fic, two sequels after Rehabilitate to be exact. But as I see the decline in kudos and comments in comparison to Detained, I just can't seem to be able to find the courage in updating this one. 
> 
> Kudos and comments shouldn't be the thing that motivates a fic writer, but it really does. I'm being honest here, most of the popular writers wouldn't care, becuase they get enough reception. Not trying to throw any shade here, just being honest. 
> 
> So until I find the drive to throw myself completely on this fic again, it's going to be discontinued for now/sort of a permanent hiatus.


End file.
